Psalm 21

To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1   In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD,
    and in your help how greatly he exults!
2   You have given him his heart’s desire,
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.  Selah
3   For you meet him with rich blessings;
    you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4   He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
    length of days forever and ever.
5   His glory is great through your help;
    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6   You bestow on him blessings forever;
    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7   For the king trusts in the LORD,
    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;
    your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9   You will make them like a fiery furnace
    when you appear.
  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and fire will consume them.
10   You will destroy their offspring from the earth,
    and their children from among humankind.
11   If they plan evil against you,
    if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12   For you will put them to flight;
    you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
    We will sing and praise your power.

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 21:6-7a)

Here is the center of a blessed life, Lord. It's all about trusting You. We trust You because You have shown Yourself to be trustworthy. You are faithful, the God of steadfast love, the King who reigns over all with wisdom, the Savior who snatches us from the clutch of death. Thus we trust You because of who You are.

Postscript

The Hebrew verb translated as "to trust" in verse 7 is batach. It does not have the sense of the English "believe in," with the emphasis on the content of belief (i.e. "I believe in God" means "I believe that there is a God.") Rather, batach has to do with reliance and confidence. The content of belief is assumed. Batach takes us a step further to relying upon God in all things. We can see the sense of batach in the parallel with "lean" in Proverbs 3:5-6. Let me close with this beloved challenge from Proverbs:

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Except for the Scripture text, all material of The Daily Psalm Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts

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The Scripture text used in The Daily Psalm is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved