Jump Start # 3882
Psalms 21:6 “For Thou dost make him most blessed forever; Thou dost make him joyful with gladness in Thy presence.”
David’s psalm is about the king. Not THE KING, God, but most likely himself. The chapter begins with, “O Lord, in Thy strength the king will be glad.” A few sentences later it speaks of a crown of fine gold on his head. Verse 7 states, “For the king trusts in the Lord…”
How these words could be spoken of a preacher, a shepherd, a parent or all of us disciples of the Lord. Think about the expression within our verse today, “Thou dost make him joyful with gladness.” Coming from the New American Standard, the language is very King James. The “thous” and “dosts” are not very “New American.” God makes the king joyful with gladness and God makes us joyful with gladness.
Here are some thoughts:
First, God understands that gladness and joy does not have to be expensive and complicated. Simply things like the smile of a child’s face; the purr of a cat; the wag of a dog’s tail; the sounds of birds in the morning—each of those things have a way of calming the heart and bringing joy within us. Some spend a ton of money, going to great lengths to find joy on a vacation when it’s right there at home if they would only slow down, open their eyes and observe.
Second, the source of these joys are not in the smell of baked bread, quietness of the morning, but they are coming from Him. Thou dost make him joyful are the words of our verse. The THOU is God. It is God who is doing these things. Simple pleasure. Sweet memories. Joyful hymns sung. The fellowship of believers. The confidence from the Scriptures. The hugs of old friends. The God who sent Titus to a discouraged Paul, and birds to a hungry Elijah and provided five smooth stones for young David before he faced the giant, is bringing joy and gladness to you. In a time of angry and constant complaining, the heart of a disciple is wrapped in joy and gladness. This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through, we sing.
Third, David recognized that God had been good to him. This joy and gladness leads to thankfulness and appreciation for the Lord. It is God who brought this gladness. It is God who was thinking about you. It was God who knew just what you needed. In a busy day, full of lots of things to do, topped with the common problems, stresses and troubles of the day, there is joy and there is gladness. We often may not see it. We may be too busy to notice. We may be so focused upon what is not right that we fail to see what is right. Tired, often discouraged, we shuffle through the day, knowing tomorrow will be just like today. There is enough gloom and doom to wipe any smile off of our face. Then we deal with people who believe that they are the only person on the planet. Demanding. Selfish. Loud. It’s enough to make our heads hurt. But there, sprinkled throughout the day, if you can see it and if you are looking for it, are moments of joy sent from Him who is in Heaven. Those moments become an oasis to our hearts. They remind us that not all is lost. They help us keep centered what is essential and what is most important. Reminders from Heaven, not in the form of shouting or lectures or warnings, but joy. The joy of pets. The joy of friendships. The joy of Scriptures. The joy of worship. The joy of the Lord.
God is not like the world. If Heaven was like the world, most would skip it. Who wants to live forever in turmoil, stress, troubles and heartache? The world is a mess. The world can discourage us and depress us. But, not the Lord. The Lord brings moments of joy and happiness. There is gladness in the Lord. And, I expect one reason is because joy and gladness are characteristics of God. Most don’t see God smiling. They see Him upset with us. They see Him angry with us. They see Him not wanting to have anything to do with us. But, it is hard to produce joy and gladness when that is the quality of one’s heart. God is joy. God is gladness.
In the talent parable, when the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” I see a big smile on that master’s face. The master is God. When the father came running toward the wayward prodigal, I see tears streaming down the father’s cheeks and a big smile on his face. That father is our Father.
The God of joy and gladness brings joy and gladness. Now, what about God’s children? How do people see us? Are we bad news people? Are we always complaining? Are we always walking around with frowns on our faces? I have been to many places where I could not speak the language. Yet, I found that smiles are international. Smiles open closed hearts. Smiles soften rugged edges. Smiles are contagious.
Let us remember that the Gospel is GOOD NEWS.
Thou dost make him joyful with gladness in Thy presence. It’s the presence and fellowship of God that brings the greatest joys. David knew it. Do we?
Roger