Psalm 21, just like Psalm 20, was written for use by the people of Israel when they were gathered together but it makes a natural shift. Where Psalm 20 was a liturgical prayer written for the people to use together in prayer for the king, Psalm 21 offers God thanks and praise for what He has already done for the king.

The two Psalms therefore work well together, allowing a group of people to do two things – to call on God to act, but at the same time recognising that he has already acted. It’s a union I would do well to recognise.

I find it easy to get into a rhythm of asking God for stuff, hoping that I’ll get what I want in life. That’s ok, but if it’s all I’ve got then God just becomes some magic genie that, in my view, should be serving me; fulfilling my desires and wants. I don’t want a God who bows to me – I want a God that I’m compelled to offer my life to. If it’s me he has to bow to then the world is screwed whereas if I’m compelled to serve him, I’ve got some hope.

It’s the presence and activity of God that enables the praise that causes me to bow. God has acted and continues to act as the rhythm that under-girds all things, drawing us forward. I like the metaphor of music and song to capture that. Sometimes that music is profoundly evident, other times it’s drowned out by other noise. Psalm 21 reminds me to stop and listen to see where the music of God can be heard and where it has been heard before. Sometimes that’s easy and other times it is extremely difficult, but at all times I can turn to scripture and see where the music truly cut through the other noise through the life of Jesus.

The scriptural account offers a sense of the song I want to tune into and it’s the story I’m a part of, continually reminding me that though the music can often seem dim, history is full of times when the music has been clear and true and for this, as with Psalm 21, I stop to offer praise to the God who is.

May we be people in tune with the music of God; able to pause and hear that song both in our own lives but also in the world around us – for it is a rhythm that is ever present and ever active. May our lives become one of the instruments in that song.

Read more of my reflections on the Psalms.

Here’s why I’m walking this journey through the Psalms.

Note: It’s not hard to spot the influence of Rob Bell’s ‘Rhythm | 011’ on this post. I watched it this morning so must give it credit.