“The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” (v. 1). Psalm 21 unfolds as the answer to the intercession voiced in Psalm 20. The moment of crisis has passed. the battle has been resolved. What remains is thanksgiving. David’s joy is carefully located. It rests in God’s strength and in God’s deliverance rather than in personal achievement. He understands the source of victory with clarity: “You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips” (v. 2). The outcome of the struggle is received as a gift, not claimed as his entitlement. Success appears here as grace welcomed with gratitude.
Though David bears a crown, he remembers whose hands placed it there: “For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head” (v. 3). Everything that follows—life extended, honor bestowed, joy multiplied—flows from divine generosity (vv. 4-6). Authority is sustained by mercy rather than force. Stability arises from trust rather than control. “For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved” (v. 7). Security doesn’t emerge from self-assurance but from reliance upon God’s steadfast favor. Psalm 21 lifts our gaze toward a kingship defined by faithfulness, one whose permanence is anchored in righteousness that doesn’t falter.
The psalm therefore shapes a posture of gratitude and humility for all who receive blessing. When prayers are answered and efforts bear fruit, the faithful are taught to pause and give thanks rather than to claim credit. Every gift—every provision of daily bread—becomes a reminder of divine generosity. Every achievement bears the mark of mercy. Rejoicing is directed toward the Giver rather than the outcome itself. Psalm 21 trains the heart to celebrate rightly, anchoring joy in God’s unchanging kindness rather than in circumstantial success. Gratitude becomes the Christian’s adornment; humility becomes its quiet strength.
“Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power” (v. 13). Worship stands as the psalm’s fitting conclusion. The hymn turns outward and upward—away from self-reference and toward divine exaltation. This victory hymn ultimate reaches beyond David to Christ, the true Son of David. His kingship was first marked by suffering before it was crowned with the glory of resurrection. He reigns through self-giving love, having conquered sin and death by the cross. Because of Him, the blessings celebrate in Psalm 21 are shared with His people—the joy of being upheld, remembered, and honored by grace. Thus, the Church sings alongside David, directing praise where it belongs: to the Lord alone, whose strength secures every crown and whose mercy sustains every victory.
The Lutheran Column 