Rejoice And Be Glad In The Lord
But let the godly rejoice and let them be glad in God’s presence. Psalm 68:3
In the Psalms, David often made a contrast between the godly and the ungodly. He encouraged the godly to rejoice and be glad in the Lord. He also sent a warning to the enemies of the Lord.
In the first two verses of Psalm 68, David asked God to confront His enemies. He suggested five ways for the Lord to deal with them.
Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives. Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God. Psalm 68:1-2
What important lesson can we learn from the people in the Old Testament? They were either for God or against Him and treated accordingly. Maybe you’ve never taken note of that fact.
We can break human history into three sections. The beginning of man through all the pages of the Old Testament makes up the first section. The third section will last forever, called eternity.
The first and third sections have one major thing in common. God treated those considered godly much differently than those He considered ungodly. We live in the section between those two.
God placed in it the New Covenant, a time of mercy and grace. This covenant fulfilled all the requirements of the first section and directions for entering the third section.
Eternity has a place for the ungodly called eternal torment. It also has a place for the godly, called heaven. When we leave this second section of life, we will each have a day of reckoning.
Will You Rejoice and be Glad or Not
While living on this earth, we choose where we want to spend eternity. So, after we breathe our last breath, God will show us the destiny we had chosen forever.
The determining factor comes down to whether a person has accepted Jesus as their Savior. Therefore, when entering into the Lord’s presence, we will rejoice and be glad for all eternity.
Fortunately, we don’t have to wait until eternity to enter into God’s presence. The Psalmist told us that we can rejoice in the Lord with a glad heart today and every day.
Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in his presence! Psalm 68:4
It doesn’t matter where we stand in life or what circumstances we face. We can rejoice in the Lord and be glad because God meets us where we are. There He will fill our needs.
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. Psalm 68:5-6
The Psalmist spent the next few verses praising God because of all he had done for the Israelites. He led them out of Egypt, supplied all their needs, and defeated their enemies.
God Dwells Among Us
They continued to rejoice in the Lord with glad hearts because He dwelt among them. God scattered their enemies like blowing snow. Because of all God did, they praised Him.
- Praise the Lord; praise God our Savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude. Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death. Psalm 68:19-20
- Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord. Interlude. Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky. Psalm 68:32-33
When David led the Israelites, he promoted praise and worship with shouts of joy. Once David died, things changed. Today, we have the seed of David, Jesus Christ, who died but now lives.
We can maintain a glad heart and rejoice in His wonderful name. And we should do that every day because He will never leave or let us down. Praise Him for all He has done.
Reflect on Your Own Life
Why don’t you take a few minutes to recall what God has done for you and your family? Thank Him for the times He delivered you from situations that could have been devastating.
Give Him thanks for the times He bailed you out financially. Or when He stretched your dollars, making it possible to get things you needed for your family.
I’ve often wondered how many times God or an angel has intervened for us before something dreadful happened. How many auto accidents has He shielded us from?
When we get to heaven, do you think we will find out how many times He protected us? Just thinking about those things makes it simple to rejoice and be glad in the Lord constantly.
David couldn’t contain all God had done for him and his people. Sure, he loved to rejoice in the Lord with a glad heart in his worship and praise. But he had to tell others about God, too.
Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens. Psalm 68:34
We can use this verse to encourage ourselves to tell everyone about God’s power. Remember, from our New Covenant setting, only eternity follows, so keep your focus on the Lord.
God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! Psalm 68:35
David possibly started and ended each of his days with these thoughts in mind. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for us to start and end our days the same way?
Lord, we proclaim your majesty and are consumed with awe. You make our hearts glad, and we rejoice in your name.
Check out these related posts.
- What Is The One Thing That Makes You Glad?
- Let Every Created Thing Give Praise To The Lord.
- Be Glad in the Lord
Read other related posts about what the Bible says about “Rejoice and be Glad.”
- His Faithful Love Endures Forever
- How To Enter Into The Presence Of The Almighty
- Enjoying The Benefits Of Living A Godly Life
- Sing To The Lord A New Song
- What Is The Glorious Privilege Of God’s Faithful Ones?
- You Are A Child Of God So Rejoice!
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