THIS CAUGHT ME
Psalms 21:1 & 13 NKJ
1 The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power.
This is the beautiful thing about being consistent in reading God's Word. You discover nuggets of wisdom and insight that are hiding in plain view. This was my experience as I read Psalm 21.
I had heard a couple of people say that they started their devotional time with the Lord by reading a Psalm. I adopted that as a good practice. It's like a heart warm-up. As I was reading aloud Psalm 21, I was struck by the positive tone of this psalm of David. David is glorifying God for giving him his heart's desire and answering his requests. David declares that God has made him most blessed forever. David's perspective of God is something we can all learn from. David is very much convinced that God is good and, God is for him, and God will help and deliver him. I love the theme of God's involvement that we see in many of David's inspired expressions to and about the Lord.
However, what caught me somewhat by surprise was the first and last verses that praised God for His strength and power. If you had asked me before I read this psalm if God was strong and powerful, my answer would have been a resounding yes. As in, God is powerful? Duh! Let's state the obvious. But I realized, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that I did not have joy in God's strength. I had not greatly rejoiced in God's salvation or, as some translations read, victory. I was not singing and praising God's strength and power.
Oh, I certainly have praised God for His mercy that endures forever. I have thanked God for His goodness toward me and my family, and our church. I have exalted God's wisdom and honor and have blessed His name. But I have not focused my praise and rejoicing on God's strength and power. And what a great thing to rejoice about. God is stronger than anything man-made or naturally occurring in the universe. God is more powerful than the oceans. Stronger than gravity. More awesome than the winds of a hurricane or tornado. God made all these natural forces, and God made man. Satan has perverted some of God's creations, for we live in a fallen world. Man has exalted his strength and praised man-made power. But no one comes remotely close to our God.
I have watched video clips of men riding waves that are close to 100 feet tall. The power in those waves is awe-inspiring, but our God is more powerful than any wave. I have watched with horrific fascination videos of F5 tornadoes and the path of destruction they leave, but our God is greater. Plus, it takes much more power to create than destroy. And our God created the heavens and the earth, and the universe that is still expanding. Praise God for His strength and His power and His salvation and victory for us.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your strength and power and for Your strength and power toward me. You are far greater than anything I can see, feel, or imagine. I take joy in Your strength.