In the English Standard Version of Psalm 21, I count 12 times in just the first 6 verses that David uses the word “you” or “your” speaking of the Lord as the source of all his blessings. Take a look for yourself. Do you see how David credits everything he has to God?
“O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!...His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved” (Psalm 21:1, 5-7).
O Lord our God, truly you are the source of every good thing David enjoyed. You are the author of his life, knitting him together in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). He was the youngest and least regarded of Jesse’s eight sons, a simple shepherd. And yet you anointed him to be king, clothing him in splendor and majesty. You spared his life from the giant Goliath, from his jealous predecessor, the murderous King Saul, and from countless other enemies and dangers. And David responds rightly to your mercy and love, not proud of his own power, not boasting in his own strength, but grateful for your grace, glorifying and praising your name in place of his own.
Jesus, even more than David, you are our humble shepherd-king. In your humility, you even took our shame, dying on the cross for us, that we might be honored before God, and live with him forever. You not only point us to God, as David did, you take us to God. Even more, as God in the flesh, you brought God to us. We couldn’t hope to cross the chasm our sin created between us and God, but you came to us; you made yourself known to us; you loved us and died for us. Jesus, we pray, let our praise stop being “me, me, me” and like David, let our become “you, you, you.” You, Lord, are our everything. In Jesus’ name, amen.
