“For the choir director. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! … May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your counsel! … You have given him his heart’s desire, and You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. For You meet him with the blessings of good things; You set a crown of fine gold on his head. He asked life of You, You gave it to him, length of days forever and ever” (Psa 20:0-1, 4; 21:2-4).
Reading the psalms in sequence, we feel the full force of living for God when He does not answer our prayers as we expect. In Psalms 20-21, David asks God to answer the Messiah on the day of trouble and to give him all that his heart desires (Psa 20:1, 4), including a crown of gold and “length of days forever and ever” (Psa 21:2-4).
David’s prayers for the Messiah are answered, but in ways that are different and far better than David likely expected.
In all honesty, we are not prepared for the horrific experiences this King must endure before we can celebrate the fulfillment of David’s prayers. The crown of gold will come, but only after a crown of thorns (Psalm 22) and a journey through the valley of death (Psa 23:4). God will answer the Messiah’s prayers in full (Psa 20:1, 6, 9), but only after he cries out again and again to the silent heavens (Psa 22:1-2). God will give the Messiah “life” and “length of days” (Psa 23:6), but only after a brutal death, when his garments are divided (Psa 22:14-18).
David’s prayers for the Messiah are answered, but in ways that are different and far better than David likely expected. By allowing the Messiah to suffer and die, death and the grave are defeated, not only for the King, but for all the families of the earth, tribes, tongues, and nations (Psa 22:22-31). God answers our prayers as well, but not always according to our expectations or limited perspectives. When those answers come, He gives us far above what we ask or think, so that He alone will receive eternal praise and glory.
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:20-21).
