Psalm 21 is a psalm that bursts with gratitude for a victory won. The king and his people had just experienced a significant victory, likely a military one. But instead of boasting in military might or strategic planning, they turn their attention—and their praise—to the Lord. The psalmist celebrates not only what God has done, but who God is: a strong and faithful deliverer.

It is striking how the psalmist never loses sight of who the victory belongs to. God is the one who answers prayer, who grants the king’s heart’s desire, who goes before His people and secures the outcome. And having acknowledged what God has done, the psalm turns confidently toward the future: because the Lord has been faithful in the past, we can trust Him for what lies ahead. The psalm begins and ends with the same theme—God’s strength—and it invites us to praise Him because of it.

You and I may not be returning from literal war, but we face battles of our own. For some of us, it's the weariness of caregiving, the weight of unspoken grief, or the pressure of deadlines and expectations. For others, it might be navigating conflict in a relationship, walking through illness, or dealing with deep discouragement. In all these battles, Psalm 21 gently redirects our eyes from ourselves to the One who fights for us.

God’s strength does not always come with loud miracles. Often, it shows up in quiet ways—in the endurance to get through the day, the peace that steadies our heart, the strength to go through valleys, the grace to look past hurts. Sometimes the victory is simply not giving up.

So as you reflect on this past week, take a moment to pause. Where did you experience God’s strength? What small, perhaps unnoticed, victories did He bring you through? Did He sustain you through something you did not think you could manage? Did He answer a quiet prayer? Did He give you rest?

The invitation today is to respond like the psalmist—with praise: “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power”, as we recognise every quiet victory that God has bestowed upon us.

May our hearts rejoice, not in what we’ve accomplished, but in what God has graciously carried us through.

Prayer:

Dear Father, Thank You for all the victories you have won for me, even the quiet ones that I might have overlooked. Thank you for carrying me through my valleys, and for strengthening me when I feel like I have nothing left. Help me O God, to not rely on my own strength, but rather to depend on Yours. Teach me Father, to trust in You. Help me Father, to have confidence in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.