Psalm 20 (21)
For the End; a psalm by David.

O Lord, the king shall be glad in Your power,
And in Your salvation he will greatly rejoice. You gave him his soul’s desire,
And You did not deprive him of his
Lips’ request. (Pause)

For You anticipated him with blessings of goodness;
You placed a crown of precious stones on his head.
He asked You for life, and You gave it to him,
Length of days unto ages of ages.
Great is his glory in Your salvation;
Glory and majesty You shall place upon him.
For You shall give him blessing unto ages of ages;
You shall fill him with the joy of your presence.
For the king hopes in the Lord,
And in the mercy of the Most High he will not be shaken.
May Your hand be found on all Your enemies;
May Your right hand find all who hate You.
You shall make them like a fiery furnace
In the time of Your presence;
The Lord shall throw them into confusion in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.
You shall destroy their offspring from the earth
And their seed from among the sons of men.
For they vented all their evils against You;
They reasoned through a counsel they could not establish.
For You shall make them turn their back;
Among Your remnants, You shall make ready their countenance.
Be exalted, O Lord, in Your power;
We will sing and praise Your mighty deeds.

Commentary from the Orthodox Study Bible

Ps 20 is also a royal psalm because it is a prophecy of the King’s triumphal Ascension, in which He is also the End.

The Father is identified as the Lord and as the Most High and the King is also called the Lord who is exalted in His ascension, as well as the Father’s hand and right hand. In being called by these names, Jesus is shown to be one in essence and coequal with the Father. Jesus asked the Father to raise Him from the dead and to enthrone Him at His right hand for the sake of our salvation. And in His death, Resurrection, and Ascension, He destroyed all the enemies, namely, the devil and his angels. So in response to the Lord’s mighty deeds, the Church sings and praises Him.

Comments

I loved the end of this psalm, “Be exalted, O Lord, in Your power;
We will sing and praise Your mighty deeds.
I see a contrast in the way God treats the king (who hopes in the Lord) and his enemies. When I hear God anticipating the king with blessings of goodness, I think about how good God is to us and how we heard our requests.
God, please help me hope in You. We do—we hope in You. Thank you for your blessings. Please forgive us for the ways we fall short. I will sing and praise You for your mighty deeds, for your blessings, your forgiveness, and your Love.

Yesterday, my co-teacher taught my afternoon class so I could spend time with my relatives who are visiting. I never get to talk to them without all the kids present, and so it was such a treat to be able to spend time with them. This was a huge blessing for me. Thank you to my co-teacher!

I also think of the trifolds that my principal ordered for International Day. I am so grateful!

And I am thankful for my kids, especially for how good God is to them despite difficult circumstances.

I am so grateful for God’s myriad blessings!