The author captures the responses to the prayers that people had lifted up in the previous Psalm for their King. Are we aware of the changes that God made in the lives of the people for whom we prayed? Often, we do not even remember what we prayed and for whom we prayed. Even if we remember and relate the answers to our prayers, we seldom make it known to the person for whom we have prayed. People offer prayers similar to rituals in their attempts to quench the wrath of God (Isaiah 1:13). Prayer is not a ritual but a source of connection between God and a believer.

An Introspection

The king rejoices in your strength, LORD. How great is his joy in the victories you give!
You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.
You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever.

Psalms 21:1-4

The author talks about how the mindset of a person is revealed when they observe visible changes in the life of the person for whom they are praying. When we pray for the well-being of someone, we cannot limit the blessings of God in their lives. People get jealous of seeing God blessing others, even though it is in response to their prayers for them. They think that as they have prayed, the recipient of the blessing should not receive anything more than what they have. When God blesses them abundantly, the prayer warriors stop their prayers for them, abandoning them out of envy.

In the previous Psalm, people prayed to God to bring victory to their king. The author attributed the responses to their prayers as an answer to the king’s prayer. When we pray on behalf of others, we find it difficult to accept that God has answered their prayer as we think that they did not pray themselves. We are ignorant of the simple reason why we pray on behalf of someone. When the inhabitants prayed on behalf of their king, God gave him strength and made him victorious.

Similarly, when we pray for someone, we are praying on their behalf, and God accepts our prayers as the prayer of the person for whom we are interceding. The Psalmist says that a crown of pure gold, the gift of salvation and eternal life was given to the king from God. This verse should encourage us to pray on behalf of others so that God might grant them salvation and eternal life.

A Gentle Reminder

Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

Psalms 21:5-7

The author reminds the king that the victories are from God, and he should not be proud of that. If we attribute every success of our lives to God, we will receive unending blessings. Making use of medicines and the modern techniques of this world to receive healing is not wrong, but failing to attribute all those resources to the grace of God is wrong. As he understood the unfailing love of God, the Psalmist is confident that no one can shake the King.

Do the answers to our prayers motivate us to pray continually for others? Does it encourage others to trust and grow strong in God? Do we become proud when God answers our prayers? Do we feel jealous and restrict ourselves by not making the answers known to the people for whom we prayed?

Today, God has raised many prayer groups to unceasingly pray for the welfare and the salvation of the people. Each group is ready to claim God’s blessings as a response to their prayers but forget to thank God. They fail to impart faith in the people for whom they have prayed. Many prayer groups keep their prayer points secret, as they do not want to share the burden that the Spirit of God put in their hearts. What they fail to understand is that the Holy Spirit has already shared the points with the other prayer groups as well.

What The King Can Do Now

Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them.

You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.

Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.

You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.

Psalms 21:8-12

The author is explaining the things that the king can do and what God will do for the king. When the king wages war, he will seize his foes and burn them up in a blazing fire. Then, God will fight for the king and in wrath swallow his enemies. While he aims his bow at his enemies, they will run even before he shoots them.

Every forgiven child of God should be aware of what they can do and what God can do in their lives. They should know the truth that the one who is dwelling in their heart is greater than the one who is in this world. Unfortunately, leaders do not appraise the believers about their new status in God but instead, they keep them dependent on them to resolve their difficulties.

Believers have to face and succeed in their challenges by seeking God on their own. When the believers experience the leading of God in their personal life, they will impart their learnings to other fellow believers. Leaders expect their believers to depend on them, and they do not allow them to learn. If they somehow do learn, they are restricted from sharing it directly with their fellow believers.

Strength of the Lord

Be exalted in your strength, LORD; we will sing and praise your might.

Psalms 21:13

The Psalmist asked God to continue to reveal His strength as that would motivate the people to praise Him. After making known the power of the prayer to the king, the Psalmist did not depend on the king to praise God but he himself praised Him for all the blessings that He had bestowed on the king and his people. Let us not be slack in thanking God by assuming that His beneficiaries would rather thank Him.

Lord anoint us with the spirit of prayer and help us to impart faith in the lives of people.