The Daily Office: Day 31- Rejoicing in Our Victories
Silence for 2-5 minutes:
If your mind wanders, silently pray a simple prayer again and again, such as, "I surrender to your love" or "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" until the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace and focus.
Scripture:
Psalm 21
1 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation 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 upon his head. 4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6 For you make him most blessed forever;[a] 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 as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. 10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. 11 Though they plan evil against you, though 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.
Reading:
Psalm 21 is a thanksgiving Psalm to be read in tandem with Psalm 20. God has indeed given David victory over his enemy, and in this Psalm the king exalts in his God. David literally luxuriates in the blessings that his covenantal God has bestowed upon him. This military victory is a small picture of the whole trajectory of David's life with God. It is a life of interactive, answered prayer and favor from his Lord.
I wonder how often we take time to rejoice in the victories of answered prayer that God has bestowed upon us? I once looked at one of my prayer journals and was shocked at just how many prayers the Lord had answered and how I had not rejoiced in any of those victories. I just kept asking the Lord for more.
We need to take time to rejoice and exult in our God. Our victories may seem small compared to a military victory, but because they come from the hand of our Lord, they are profoundly significant. How many times has the Lord given you your heart's desire? How many blessings daily flow from our triune God from whom "all blessings flow."
The Psalm has a forward look to the resurrected Christ as David says that his length of days will last forever and ever. Eternity will be a place of endless blessing through Jesus Christ. David had begun to rejoice in those blessings as he saw them unfolding every day. Eternal life has already started for the believer in Jesus Christ. Christ's promise to us is that whoever lives and believes in Him will never die but will instead transition to dwell with Him in a place of endless delight.
Action:
Take time today to exalt in the Lord's strength as you recount the victories in your life that the Lord has brought you through answered prayer.
Prayer:
Today Lord, I take time to rejoice in the many victories and blessings you have given me in this life. Forgive me for not recounting all the benefits that flow from a God who can only do good. Let me live in the eternal life of Christ today, anticipating an eternity of endless bliss! Amen.