Sometimes, it pays to stop and take stock of how far God has brought you, and where God has placed you.

In the opening words of Psalm 21, King David says, “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! ² Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.”

The word “Selah” indicates a pause, and a reflection. King David is pausing to reflect on the words he just lifted up to God.

The first thing he said is, “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord.”

“The king…”

King David does not usually refer to himself in the third person like this, and he usually doesn’t refer to himself as king, at least, not in the psalms. Yes, he was the rightful king of Israel, so ordained by God, but David didn’t go around boasting his title. Instead, he was just king. He just did what God wanted him to do.

But here… David calls himself king. He is taking stock of where God has placed him.

No longer is he the shepherd boy living outside Bethlehem, he is king of Israel.

And his rise to power and prominence wasn’t the result of his own political abilities, nor was it the result of his own conquest, rather it was God who elevated him to that role.

The king shall joy in the strength of the Lord.

Here, David’s reflection moves beyond where God has placed him to the power and magnificence that defines the Lord’s character.

God’s strength is more powerful than anything we can imagine. As the creator of the universe, He has the ability to speak things into existence and to alter the course of time, and the composition of matter simply by desiring it.

This power is seen on full display in John 2, where Jesus turns the water into wine simply by willing it to change.

This God, with all His power and authority, had enveloped David in His good will. That same God, with the same power and strength, envelopes us in His good will as well.

Not only did God create us and give us life, but He used His power and authority to redeem us from sin and death. He then uses His power and strength for our good, as Romans 8:28 says that “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:31 goes on to reinforce the truth that God wants, and will do, good for us. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

So, in Psalm 21, David is taking stock of where God has placed him, and Who God is, and is celebrating the Lord’s salvation. He goes on to reflect all the prayers God has answered, and all the requests God has granted. This all culminates with David, once again, expressing faith and joy in the Lord.

In life, there always seems to be another mountain before us. We always seem to be facing another obstacle, another crisis, another problem, and another challenge to our faith.

And, even though we have our meltdowns and our breakdowns, we always seem to find a way to pray it out before God and move forward in faith.

But… one of the great tragedies in life is to miss the blessings you’ve already been granted because you are too focused on your problems.

So, we must intentionally stop, take a moment, reflect on Who God is, remembering His goodness, then take the time to count the blessings. Yes, there may be a mountain before us, but how about that mountain He already carried us over, and how about this beautiful valley in which we stand?

Even though I still have remnants from my past life stressing me out, it helps to start my day in the Lord’s presence with prayer and devotional time (which produces many of these blog posts). And centering my day on the Lord helps me to appreciate not only the past blessings, but the beauty and amazement of the place where I am now, and the new life He’s given me.

Take time to remember your blessings and praise the Lord for them today. You’ll be glad you did. It will lift your spirits.