Originally posted: 10/03/2020

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand, (20:6).

Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength;
We will sing and praise Your power, (21:13).

Whether or not Psalms 20 and 21 are referring to the same situation in the life of King David, they actually go hand-in-hand in addressing the Before and After when in the face of conflict.

From NIV Study Bible:

Psalm 20 is “a liturgy of prayer for the king just before he goes out to battle against a threatening force.”

Psalm 21 is “a psalm of praise for victories granted to the king. It is thus linked with Ps 20, but whether both were occasioned by the same event is unknown.”

And references to His Strength are repeated in both Psalms, acknowledging with unwavering faith that so much more than human ability or strength is needed; it is only in His Strength that there is hope for victory.

And in these two Psalms we see Him in His Strength, Before and After Every need, Every conflict, Every challenge, Every difficulty, Every battle; Before and After Everything.

Consider Him in His Strength, Before and After Everything

• Before: Call on Him in His Strength, believing He will answer.
  • May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! (20:1).
• After: Rejoice in Him in His Strength, thanking Him for His answer.
  • Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad,
    And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice!
    ² You have given him his heart’s desire,
    And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah! (21:1-2).

• Before: Depend on Him in His Strength, trusting His help and support.
  • May He send you help from the sanctuary
    And support you from Zion! (20:2).
• After: Honor Him in His Strength, praising Him for the blessing of His help and support.
  • For You meet him with the blessings of good things;
    You set a crown of fine gold on his head, (21:3).

• Before: Rely on Him in His Strength, through the means of His acceptable sacrifice.
  • May He remember all your meal offerings
    And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah, (20:3).
• After: Worship Him in His Strength, through His acceptable sacrifice that is received by faith and gives life forever.
  • He asked life of You,
    You gave it to him,
    Length of days forever and ever, (21:4).

• Before: Believe in Him in His Strength, trusting Him to fulfill our desires and plans.
  • May He grant you your heart’s desire
    And fulfill all your counsel! (20:4).
• After: Magnify Him in His Strength, glorifying Him for fulfilling our desires through His blessings of salvation, joy, lovingkindness and stability.
  • His glory is great through Your salvation,
    Splendor and majesty You place upon him.
    ⁶ For You make him most blessed forever;
    You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence.
    ⁷ For the king trusts in the Lord,
    And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken, (21:5-7).

• Before: Boast in Him in His Strength, knowing He will save us to stand upright before the enemy.
  • Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
    He will answer him from His holy heaven
    With the saving strength of His right hand.
    ⁷ Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
    But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
    ⁸ They have bowed down and fallen,
    But we have risen and stood upright, (20:6-8).
• After: Exalt Him in His Strength, boasting in the name of the Lord, our God, Who has defeated the enemy by His great power.
  • Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength;
    We will sing and praise Your power, (21:13).

As we consider Him in His Strength, Before and After Everything, of course we will see Jesus, God’s only acceptable sacrifice and our only hope for salvation.

Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; ¹² but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified, (Hebrews 10:11-14).

Jesus, Who was Before time began.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God, (John 1:1-2).

Jesus, Who is After Everything… and into all of eternity.

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end,” (Revelation 22:12-13).

How do we respond to Him in His Strength, Before and After Everything?

We respond by making the choice to consider Him in His Strength, Before and After Everything. Psalms 20 and 21 are filled with truths of Him to consider, and the ways in which we will benefit if we will but respond in faith.

Let us decide to consider Him in His Strength, Before and After Everything, in unshakeable confidence as we look to Him in anticipation and wait for Him to answer.

In every Before, let us believe Him for the After. Let us always look to Him in dependence, convinced of His deliverance; in reliance, persuaded of His redemption; in trust, assured of His triumph.

May we live each day in fearless faith, absolutely sure of Him in His Strength, Before and After Everything, knowing and believing He will turn our every petition into praise as He answers our supplications with His Strength and salvation.

But you will not go out in haste,
Nor will you go as fugitives;
For the Lord will go before you,
And the God of Israel will be your rear guard, (Isaiah 52:12).

Let’s Grow Together!