Psalms 21:1-13: a reflection

1The king rejoices in your strength, LORD! How greatly he rejoices in your salvation! 2You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. 3For you meet him with the blessings of goodness. You set a crown of fine gold on his head. 4He asked life of you and you gave it to him, even length of days forever and ever. 5His glory is great in your salvation. You lay honor and majesty on him. 6For you make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with joy in your presence. 7For the king trusts in the LORD. Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved. 8Your hand will find out all of your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath. The fire shall devour them. 10You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from among the children of men. 11For they intended evil against you. They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed. 12For you will make them turn their back, when you aim drawn bows at their face. 13Be exalted, LORD, in your strength, so we will sing and praise your power.

This psalm of the king finds the secret of his security not in his own strength but in his trust in God and God's steadfast love. For the king trusts in the LORD, it says; and through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved. The king rejoices in God's strength and salvation, not his own; and because he trusts in the LORD and rests on God's steadfast love, he is unshaken, not to be moved. His stability comes not from his own power or achievements, but from trusting God and resting on God's unfailing love. Trust in the Lord, joined to the steadfast love of the Most High, is what keeps him from being moved. The one who trusts God and rests on his steadfast love stands firm, unshaken, whatever comes.

Notice the source of the king's unshaken standing: he trusts in the LORD, and through God's steadfast love he shall not be moved. It is not his own strength, his own achievements, his own security that keep him firm; it is his trust in God and God's unfailing love toward him. Because he trusts the Lord and rests on the steadfast love of the Most High, he shall not be moved. His stability is anchored not in himself but in God, in trusting God and in God's love that does not fail. The one who leans on his own strength may be shaken when it fails; but the one who trusts God and rests on his steadfast love stands firm, for God's love does not fail. Trust in the Lord and reliance on his steadfast love are what keep us unshaken. What holds us firm is God's unfailing love, laid hold of by trust.

That is worth resting in, for trusting the Lord and resting on his steadfast love keeps us unshaken. We can try to anchor our stability in our own strength or achievements, and be shaken when they fail; but the king was unmoved because he trusted in the LORD and rested on God's steadfast love. Our security is firm not when we lean on ourselves but when we trust God and rest on his unfailing love. When you feel shaken, anchor yourself not in your own strength but in trusting God and his steadfast love, which does not fail. Anchor your stability in trusting the Lord and resting on his steadfast love, which keeps us unshaken, rather than in your own strength, as the psalm says the king trusts in the LORD and through the loving kindness of the Most High he shall not be moved; for our own strength may fail and leave us shaken, but the one who trusts God and rests on his unfailing love stands firm, held not by himself but by the steadfast love of God.

Lord, this psalm of the king finds the secret of his security not in his own strength but in his trust in you and your steadfast love. For the king trusts in the LORD, it says; and through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved. The king rejoices in your strength and salvation, not his own; and because he trusts in you and rests on your steadfast love, he is unshaken, not to be moved. His stability comes not from his own power or achievements, but from trusting you and resting on your unfailing love. Trust in you, joined to your steadfast love, is what keeps him from being moved. Show me the source of the king's unshaken standing: he trusts in the LORD, and through your steadfast love he shall not be moved. It is not his own strength, his own achievements, his own security that keep him firm; it is his trust in you and your unfailing love toward him. Because he trusts you and rests on your steadfast love, he shall not be moved. His stability is anchored not in himself but in you. The one who leans on his own strength may be shaken when it fails; but the one who trusts you and rests on your steadfast love stands firm, for your love does not fail. Let me rest in that, for trusting you and resting on your steadfast love keeps me unshaken. I can try to anchor my stability in my own strength or achievements, and be shaken when they fail; but the king was unmoved because he trusted in you and rested on your steadfast love. When I feel shaken, help me anchor myself not in my own strength but in trusting you and your steadfast love, Lord, which does not fail, as the king trusted in you and was not moved.