IT IS TIME TO EXAMINE OUR HEARTS!

WHO IS AT THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE?

Psalm 21

O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices,

and in your salvation how greatly he exults!

You have given him his heart's desire

and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

For you meet him with rich blessings;

you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.

He asked life of you; you gave it to him,

length of days forever and ever.

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.

Your hand will find out all your enemies;

your right hand will find out those who hate you.

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.

You will destroy their descendants from the earth,

and their offspring from among the children of man.

Though they plan evil against you,

though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.

For you will put them to flight;

you will aim at their faces with your bows.

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!

We will sing and praise your power.

After meditating upon Psalm 20, where David was preparing for battle, here we find David rejoicing about the Lord’s provision and help during the battle itself.

At the end of his battle, David rejoices in the victory and does not forget that his strength and salvation were the work of the Lord. He reminds himself that these were clear answers to his prayer. It was God who blessed him and gave him the position he had. Every day of life was a gift from God. God had provided wonderful results, but David’s foremost blessing was the relationship he had with his God.

It was so clear for David that his blessing was being provided by the Most High God. He was loved by the eternal, unmovable, and faithful God, and he rejoiced in the stability this wonderful truth gave to his life.

David had no doubts that God was aware of the planners of evil; He was not surprised by their schemes, and had the wisdom and power to provide the victory. It is evident that David did not look at their evil as a personal affront, but realized that his enemies were primarily offending God and doing evil against Him.

Are you seeing a pattern in these verses? They were not about David and his comfort. All evil was offending to God, and it was God’s responsibility to deal with it. David knew that he could trust Him and that God would be glorified through it.

Far too often, evil people and evil events cause Self to capture the center of my attention. I am not concerned that they are offending God. I am not aware that God is completely aware and providentially dealing with them. I certainly forget that God has higher purposes than to provide comfort and ease to my life. I certainly lose sight that God’s ultimate goal is for His majesty to be glorified.

Men’s tendency is to elevate ourselves very quickly to the focus of every event. It becomes about us, while God becomes the one that has to provide for us, as if we deserve special attention and we are the center of the event.

It’s not hard to examine where our hearts are. Am I complaining? Am I becoming disappointed with God? Am I bitter or angry? Have my needs or wants replaced God’s best interests? Is my heart truly glorifying God through the event?

Dear friend, I like to remind myself that I am always an inch away from losing sight of what my place is and what place God should have. My lack of trust and peace very quickly exposes that I have crossed the line of reality.

These psalms are truly a blessing, as they again and again set us back on course.

Do you wonder, like I do, how we can thank God in all circumstances?

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

The answer is easy: we must put God, rather than ourselves, at the center of our lives! We need to be consumed by His will, His desires, and His goals. We must submit to Him, loving the glory that God receives by our obedience.

David ends the psalm with these wonderful words:

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!

We will sing and praise your power.

David never doubted the power of God; he had learned that God used it for His glory and not to meet man’s desires. May we learn to have this same frame of mind, as we purpose to live by His grace, aware of God’s power, and motivated by our desire for His glory!