“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” (Ps 5:11 AV)
This verse is interesting in that two
colons are separating three thoughts. As
we know, what follows a colon expounds on that came before it. In the verse above, those that love the name
of God and rejoice because of Him do so because God answered prayer. Those that rejoice that God answered prayer
do so because they sought God by faith. The
end of this verse teaches if we are to love God, we must first learn to trust Him. There is another application here as
well. Note that joy is mentioned as a by-product
of each step. We rejoice when we learn
to trust. We rejoice when God answers
our prayers. We rejoice a third time
because we appreciate God for who He is and what He has done. Each step of spiritual growth brings with it
a helping of joy. Our joy is directly
tied to our willingness to trust. It
starts there. If we will not trust the
LORD, then we will be disappointed with the outcome. Disappointment is the exact opposite of joy.
Joy is sadly missing in today’s world
and it is something almost all seek.
Happiness, which is a close relative to joy, usually ends up being the
object of pursuit. But happiness is
temporary and fleeting. Happiness only
lasts as long as the circumstances allow it to exist. Joy, on the other hand, is much deeper and long-lasting. Happiness is a response. Joy is a choice. Notice David tells his readers to rejoice as
they put their trust in God. Just
because we put our trust in God does not mean we will rejoice as a natural
result. Joy is a choice. Faith naturally brings with it anxiety. Think of Gideon. He trusted the LORD, but he was quaking in
his boots as he did. On the other hand,
there is Abraham. When he offered Isaac
upon the altar, there is no record of anxiety with him. Impatience can also creep in as we trust the
LORD. We have no option but to trust
Him. We do, but we also struggle with
it. Choosing to rejoice as we trust
means we have decided to see the answer before it comes and exercise patience
until the answer does come. Rejoicing
comes when we leave all things in God’s hand and choose to expect the end from
the beginning. Faith means we see what
God will do before He does it and this confidence is then our motivation to
rejoice.
The challenge becomes the interim
between seeing the end and waiting for the end to come. This is where the choice to rejoice comes
in. As we walk by faith, there will be
constant challenges to that walk. The greatest
of which is our Adversary. He does not
want to see the saint rejoice in something he has yet to realize. To do so would be the greatest of all types
of testimony. One of the most effective
witnesses to the reality of God is our faith in Him. Going hand in hand is the joy that is
supposed to accompany that faith. If we
say we trust Him, then we should appear as though we do. If we believe He will deliver us from all
evil, then a face that says so should be our demeanor. Joy is nothing more than wearing on the
outside what God has promised on the inside.
Of our faith tells us God will answer and we believe that with our whole
hearts, then let that faith work its way to the spirit. Choose to rest in Him. Choose to rejoice in what God is going to do
rather than obsess over what He is not doing.
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