“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.”
- Psalm 21:6-7 -

In this Psalm, we see the blessings the king receives: the crown, a long life, glory, majesty, and splendor (vs 1–6). Although the verbs are a mixture of imperfect (usually future tense) and perfect (normally indicating past tense), the likelihood is that the blessings described have not yet been bestowed. This is a common feature of poetry – that the perfect tense is used to indicate the certainty of events still in the future.

The second part of the psalm (vs 8–13) focuses on the king’s vindication and the punishment of his enemies. It is unclear whether this is accomplished directly by God or by the king as his agent. Ultimately though, the praise belongs to God for his power (v 13). The hinge on which the prayer turns is verse 7, where the king expresses trust in the Lord, based on God’s ‘unfailing love’ (the Hebrew word used here, hesed, means covenant loyalty/love). In other words, he knows he can rely on God because of the Lord’s covenant commitment to him.

Whether we wait for some resolution in our present-day experiences or look towards that final day when God will put all things right, the point is that we live in trust. Such faith is not based on some vague hope but on the sure foundation that our God committed himself to us and that he will be faithful.

Prayer: Lord, help us to trust your promises with confidence as if they had already happened. May we live in hope and in ‘the joy of your presence’ (v 6)!