TWO UNUSUAL PLACES FOR JOY AND REJOICING
Psalm 21:1 NKJV
1 The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
David has a relationship with the Lord that is very different. His trust in God is inspiring. His strong belief in the goodness and gracious character of God is convicting. His consistent confidence in God’s ability and willingness to help and deliver him is amazing. It’s not difficult to see why God called David a man after His own heart.
In this 21st Psalm, authored by David, he starts with phrases that sound almost foreign. These are not phrases I have used in my own life and I don’t know that I have heard others use them. The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord. How often have you said that or heard it said? David is talking about himself and declaring that he is joyful in God’s strength. To be joyful in God’s strength implies that God’s strength is working on your behalf. David is joyful because God’s great strength is showing up in his life. And God’s strength adds to whatever David is doing.
David saw God’s strength when he confronted wild animals trying to kill the sheep in his flock. David saw God’s strength in a big way when he faced and defeated Goliath. Throughout many battles, often outnumbered, David saw the strength of God show up on his behalf. So he has confidence in God’s strength. God’s strength has become a source of joy for him.
Accompanying God’s strength in his life was God’s salvation. Time after time, David was delivered from the hand of his enemies. He found himself in tight spots with Saul, with the Philistines, and even with his own men. But God delivered him out of them all. There was a time when almost the entire nation turned against David to follow his son Absalom. David had to run for his life, and yet, once again, God saved him. Because of David’s track record with God’s delivering power, he had a highly developed confidence in God’s salvation. David believed that God would come in on his behalf. Maybe that’s why David said he greatly rejoiced in God’s salvation.
APPLICATION
I mentioned that there are two unusual places of joy and rejoicing. In listening to people talk, God’s strength and salvation are not typically listed. I hear my kids, spouse, friends, hobbies, passions, and job as sources of joy. I rarely hear someone acknowledge anything regarding salvation, except for being grateful for the personal salvation that’s in Christ. Thankful for our personal salvation is always appropriate. But what if?
What if we began to praise the Lord for His strength showing up in our lives? We can even profess Philippians 4:13, saying that we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. And what if we began to rejoice in God’s salvation to step in and help us and to deliver us from the darkness and evil all around us?
Let’s add that into our life this year. Lord, we are joyful in Your great strength. And we rejoice in Your salvation in all areas of our lives! This is another way to make the greatness and presence of God more of a reality!