Psalm 21

A Response to Victory and to Psalm 20.

Only one thing, tonight that we’re going to pull out of this Psalm... It’s a primary point and where we find encouragement and application.God's king wins because he prays. vs.1-2God's king wins because he prays. He doesn't win because he has the best army, though 1 Chronicles goes on and on about what an impressive army David had. He doesn't win because of his superior wisdom or tactics. He doesn't win because his enemies are weak. God's king wins because he prays, and because God gives him the victory.

Lining up the Psalms:

Psalm 20 is before the battle. Psalm 21 is afterwards.In 20:4 they pray that God would give the king the desire of his heart. In 21:2 God has given it to him. In 20:7 they are saying they will stand firm because they trust in the name of the LORD. In 21:7, the king has stood firm because he trusts in the LORD. God's king wins because he prays.Now I could try to apply this to us, and say that if we pray, we will win. But it's not that simple. We aren't God's king, so we can't just rip this passage out of context and say straight away that it applies to us.But Jesus is God's king, and this passage is about him.Something I find really striking about prayer... did you know that the Resurrection happened because Jesus prayed. 

• Hebrews 5:7-8 - “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”

The resurrection happened because Jesus prayed. God's king wins because he prays . . . and you know what . . . that is a great reason for us to be encouraged. Jesus prays and wins, God gives him victory . . . that is how the Father will always respond to His leaders but it is even more true of how the Father responds to the Son. God gives Jesus the desire of His heart. Do you know what Jesus is praying for right now? Us.

Jesus prays for us

Romans 8:31-39 - “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 

Conclusion:

Let me read the final verse of Psalm 21... vs.13God's king wins because he prays. So we should be confident because God's king Jesus is praying for us and we should pray because prayer matters.