Psalm 20 is a prayer before battle, and Psalm 21 is the praise that comes afterward. What God’s people asked for in Psalm 20, they celebrated in Psalm 21.

“O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!” (Psalm 21:1)

I have prayed many prayers over the years. When something weighs heavily on my heart, I pray about it repeatedly. I ask God for wisdom, help, protection, healing, direction, or an answer. Sometimes I pray about the same thing for days, months, or even years. I know how to bring my requests to God, but I’m often better at asking Him than thanking Him. Psalm 21 reminds me of that. I don’t always acknowledge that answered prayer deserves remembered praise.

September 21 is the third anniversary of my Mom’s passing, and that brings to mind one very personal answer to prayer. For many years, I prayed about my mom’s eventual passing. She always told me that she wasn’t afraid of dying because she knew where she was going. Her fear, however, was how she would get there. Her desire was simple: when the time came, she wanted to pass peacefully in her sleep. So I told my mom we should pray and ask God for that. And that is exactly how the Lord took her home. My dear mom spent the final 36 hours of her earthly life in a peaceful sleep. Just a couple of months shy of her 97th birthday, she stepped gently onto heaven’s shore.

In the grief of losing her, it would have been easy to focus only on the loss. But an answered prayer was tucked inside my sorrow. God had heard the request I had brought before Him many times. While I did thank God for this specific answer, I wonder how many other answers I received and then hurried on to my next request. Psalm 21 reminds me that prayer shouldn’t end with the answer. Answered prayer deserves remembered praise.

Psalm 20 is filled with requests: “May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!” (Psalm 20:1). But Psalm 21 begins on the other side of those prayers: “O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.” (Psalm 21:1–2) The prayer was prayed. God answered. And David remembered to praise Him.

Psalm 21 also reminds us to remember the God who answers prayers. David’s confidence wasn’t ultimately in the answer; it was in the One who answered:

“For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.”

(Psalm 21:7)

That is where I want my heart to remain—not only grateful for what God gives me but anchored in who He is. Maybe today, instead of asking God for something new, I need to look back, remember the prayers He has already answered, notice His faithfulness, and let yesterday’s prayer become today’s praise.

Prayer

Lord, forgive me for the times I have eagerly asked but quickly forgotten to thank You. Help me remember the prayers You have answered and the ways You have faithfully cared for me. May I be as intentional about praising You as I am about asking You. Amen.