The first few words of our verse for today is, “the king is glad.” It also tells us why, because God is strong. God is the only one who can save us from our sinful selves. It is in light of that salvation that he sings God’s praise. What is the one thing that makes you glad? Why don’t you write your answer in the comments below?
The king is glad because You, O Eternal, are strong. In light of your salvation, he is singing Your Name Psalm 21:1 (VOICE)
Most of what God does for us, we take for granted. Here are a few of the things that we might not even give thought to. The Lord placed the earth in an orbit that is the exact distance from the sun to sustain human life. He made gravity so nothing can fall up and the people from Australia can’t fall off the earth.
God formed the human body to be self-sustaining. It has its own internal pump to circulate life-giving blood. And it uses the air that He created to keep oxygen in that blood.
The Lord gave humans progressive knowledge. Through the centuries we have progressed in the way we travel and communicate. Through our God-given knowledge, we have also developed many other conveniences. There are hundreds of things that we just take for granted.
In Psalm 20, David recorded that the people prayed for the king. They didn’t take their king for granted. The last verse of that Psalm reads,
Eternal One, grant victory to our king! Answer our plea for help Psalm 20:9
What Makes You Glad?
At the beginning of chapter 21, it seems to me that David had responded to what the people had prayed. He said;
The king is glad because You, O Eternal, are strong. In light of Your salvation, he is singing Your name. Psalm 21:1
I mentioned a few things, but there are many more that we are prone to take for granted. There is one thing, however, that we can’t take for granted. That is our salvation. It isn’t automatically ours, like we have the right to be saved.
It’s kind of like our driver’s license. At age 16 the Department of Transportation doesn’t just send it to you. If you want a driver’s license in the state of PA, you must apply for the privilege to obtain one. Then you must complete the necessary requirements to receive that privilege. It is something that we just can’t take for granted.
Salvation is also a privilege that we can’t take for granted. We must believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, ask Him to forgive us of our sins, and commit yourself to follow Him. No applicant has ever been turned down.
I like the way the Voice Translation of the Bible worded this verse. In light of your salvation, he is singing your name. Then in the rest of Psalm 21, David wrote about the wonderful things God had done for him.
The King’s Gladness is on Display
The chapter ended similar to how it started.
Put Your strength, Eternal One, on display for all to see; we will sing and make music of Your mighty power. Psalm 21:13
This psalm teaches us that “in light of His salvation,” we must praise God. But that is only the beginning. The king praised the Lord for every aspect of his life. He thanked God for all his victories. Read the 13 verses that make this chapter, here.
The king wasn’t shy or timid about praising and worshiping the Lord in public. It says, on display for all to see; we will sing and make music of Your mighty power. In other words, the king boldly praised God which would lead those in his circle of influence to do the same.
How about you? Are you publically proclaiming your worship and praise to the Lord? Are you putting it on display for your circle of influence to see? Or are you hiding His praise because you are fearful and hesitant?
Lord, thank you for all You do for us. Even the things that we take for granted. Most of all, thank you for making salvation available for each of us. In light of your salvation, help us to proclaim your praise for all to see.
Check out this post from Ephesians chapter 1. It’s called, 7 Reasons to Celebrate our Life in Christ
Also read an excellent post on Worship called, How To Worship God With All Of Your Life.
Check out these related posts about being glad in the Lord
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