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Psalm 21:1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord, and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

David describes all that he had as gifts from God: his heart’s desire, success and prosperity, a crown of gold, long life, splendor and majesty, eternal blessings, and mostly, joy. These gifts make him happy, but mainly his joy is in the Lord and His strength. All these gifts remind him of the giver and blesser.

We, too, look upon all we have, family, talent, positions, possessions, as gifts from God. Then in joyful response we use them to give glory back to Him, and help and bless others.

We can rejoice in the Lord always, every day, for we have received freely the greatest gift, salvation and life. We hear the Gospel regularly and respond with great joy. And no one and nothing can take that away, ever. The believer reflects the joy of the Lord in all circumstances, for He is always there, no matter how sad or bleak it feels around us and in us. The circumstances, the surroundings, and material gifts do not produce this kind of joy and rejoicing, but they point our thoughts to the Person who Gives. Our inner joy is in the Lord Himself, in His strength and salvation, in His character and eternal love.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

”Chariots and horses” is a symbol of military might, mere earthly power. As long as there have been armies and weapons nations boast, but such power does not last. David, however, knew that the true might of his nation was not in weaponry but in worship, not in firepower but in God’s power. Our confidence is in God, who gives eternal victory. We do not fear wars and mass killings and missiles. Instead, these fears drive us to the source of our faith, the God who loves us and promises victory over evil.

We remember where real power and victory over our spiritual enemies lies. The Gospel reminds us, we remember our Baptism, we take Communion in remembrance. We remember, and trust, the strong name of Jesus. He decisively won the victory and graciously gives it to us. In Him we win! Remember that, and trust in the death and resurrection of Christ. Believe in what you cannot see, the things of God, and live.

Psalm 20:5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.

The Lord has graciously done great things for us, answered our prayers, and saved us from our enemies. He has defeated our spiritual enemies, solved our problems, and freely granted us eternal life. In God’s great salvation our response is to rejoice. Our heart is glad and that implanted inner joy affects the emotions in our soul.

The joy and rejoicing in the Lord and the confidence and peace of God is the natural effect and fruit of believing the Gospel of grace and salvation. Every time we hear the Good News of salvation the Spirit fills us with joy and peace in believing. This joyful emotion puts a smile on our face and a spring in our step. Rejoicing in salvation is a response of the mind, will, and emotions.

When we pause to remember and thank God for what He has done for us joy springs up and peace settles in. God is present and He fulfills our petitions. We set up His banner of love over us.

Psalm 18:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

David’s response to the Lord’s deliverance and answers to prayer is to pause and speak about the Lord’s actions of his behalf and to think about the words and promises of God. It is beneficial and edifying for us to take some time daily to meditate on God, His Gospel, and His love. He is my Strength and my Redeemer.

He promises to listen and care. He accepts my words and thoughts, my prayers and pleas, my thanks and praise. My meditations do not stop with myself, and my prayers do not stop at the ceiling. He actually hears my meditations for Jesus’ sake. He responds to my thoughts and does something about it. This is really an awesome promise that we believe seriously.

We take some special time every day to meditate on the greatness and goodness of God, and then we turn our thoughts toward the Lord often during the day. This way of life is a healthy response to God and makes life better. The Lord is my Strength and my Redeemer: think about that. Let it sink into your heart and affect your whole being.

Psalm 19:10-11 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping of them there is great reward.

David speaks of the general revelation of God in Creation: the heavens declare the glory of God. Then he moves to the special revelation of God in His Word: the law, the testimony, the statutes, the commandment, the fear, the judgments of the Lord. The Word gives us so many good things, for it gives us God.

The Spirit creates in us a desire for the Word, a hunger and thirst for it, for it is worth more and does more good than all the money in the world. The emptiness inside cannot be satisfied with anything other than God, who comes to in His Word. Therefore, we yearn for Church, Bible study, and personal time in the Word.

Through the Law God warns His children, convicting of sin, leading to repentance and faith in the Gospel, and guiding them into good works.

Then the Spirit motivates and empowers us to keep the Law of God and live out His Commandments in daily living. For obedience brings great reward and blessing. Keeping the Law is worth it. Of course, we keep the Law imperfectly, but Christ has kept it perfectly in our place. By faith in Jesus we are counted righteous, and so we thankfully receive the rewards and benefits.

Psalm 18:46, 49 The Lord liveth: and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted….Therefore will I give thanks. Unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

David had just recounted the miraculous deliverance that the Lord had given him. His response to answered prayer and God’s mighty help was to bless the Lord and give Him thanks and praise. This is the appropriate and natural response to God’s great salvation in answer to our prayer. Every time we recognize a God sighting in response to our need we give thanks.

Thanks and praise and blessing is characteristic of the believer’s daily life. It is a natural part of living all the time, for God is always there, He is always good, His mercy never ends, He

hears our prayers, and the Gospel is ever present to our hearts and minds. We live a life of blessing, constantly praising God for His mercy, grace, forgiveness, and eternal salvation. His mercies are new every morning and His love won’t stop. Therefore, prayer and thanksgiving never ceases.

I had often thought that in our church services hymns and songs of praise should follow the preached gospel sermon. And our daily life follows the same pattern: we hear the Gospel, pray, receive forgiveness, and thank Him every morning; then praise is on our minds and lips all day long.

Psalm 18:21-23 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

The Lord gloriously answered David’s prayer and delivered him. As a result of God’s power and love in answer to prayer, he keeps God’s ways and keeps himself from sin. The received salvation of God provides the desire and ability to keep His ways. Keeping His ways results in a good life, while keeping our selfish, sinful ways yields a bad life.

Jesus Christ died and rose for us in order to grant us God’s righteousness by grace as a gift. By faith we are righteous. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” David says God rewarded him according to his righteousness (v. 20). We are not righteous by our own works, but we are righteous by the faith worked in us by the Spirit through the Gospel. I am the righteous one who lives by faith, for the gospel is the power of God. By faith in Christ I keep His ways.

Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

As David did so often, he called upon the Lord and cried to Him when he was in trouble or distress. In Psalm 50:15, the Lord says to us all: “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Whenever we are distressed or in need we may pray to the Lord, who lives within our spirit. He is present in the temple, which is our body, and He hears our voice, no matter how soft, even our thoughts. When we cry in distress, He hears, and He delivers. Then we give Him thanks, praise, and glory.

Since we live in a fallen world we are almost always in some kind of distress. But we may always pray without ceasing and live in the joy of the Lord always ready with praise and a thankful attitude. Constant prayer and praise, and awareness of the presence of God, is the life we live in the spirit by faith. Since we have been baptized we live in that world of salvation and deliverance alongside this sinful world that brings trouble and distress. We respond with a faith that God is here, that He cares, and that He hears.

Psalm 18:1-3 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

David sang this psalm on the day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. In the midst of threat and danger, David could still love the Lord. He could trust Him because the Lord is his rock, fortress, deliverer, God, strength, buckler, horn, and tower. With that kind of God as his God, David could call upon the Lord in every trouble and know that he would be saved from all enemies.

Every day we are hard pressed by our spiritual enemies, Sin, Death, and the Devil. But every moment we have our powerful Warrior by our side fighting for us. Jesus has soundly and decisively defeated our enemies at the cross and the empty tomb. There He won the victory for us. And He sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts by faith to give us confidence and assurance. We cannot be overcome. Our God overcame and won the victory through the awesome power of sacrificial love, the greatest power in the universe.

Therefore, we call upon, praise, and trust Him. Prayer and faith is our God-given response to the pains and worries of a sin-ridden life on earth. We fear, love, and trust God because He first loved us in Christ. We call and are delivered.

Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

David thanks God for hearing his prayer. He has come into the Presence (face) of God and he is satisfied that God heard him. After being with God by faith he now bears His likeness. He reflects the Lord in his looks, acts, and life. Nothing else on earth can satisfy us other than being in the presence of the Lord.

We come into God’s Presence in church worship where we hear the gospel, in the fellowship of two or three gathered in His name, and in time alone with God in the Word and prayer. But more: we can live always, every minute, in the presence of God, whatever we are doing and wherever we are. We respond to His reminders of His loving presence by being mindful of Him all the time. When we are consciously aware of Him with us and in us we begin to reflect Him more often. When we practice the presence of God we will be satisfied and content, for He is always there to hear our prayers and meet our needs. Nothing lives like living with God.