Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. (Psalm 16:9a, NIV)
It happens less and less as I get older and forsake practice, but I still get excited when the ball flies as I want it to fly and the putts roll as I want them to roll. You know those times, even if they last only a few holes. You’re feelin’ it.
When we look to David’s Psalm 16, we don’t know the stage of life he was in when he penned the words, but we do know that David was feelin’ it. His response to God was charged with emotion and exhibited demonstrative reactions. Psalms like this can put you off if you’re a quiet soul, not given to strong expression. Still, private as it may appear, you know too when you’re feelin’ it—when the wonders of God capture your heart and draw out fresh waters of praise.
The terms may vary among translations, but let’s latch on to them one by one and see what was flowing from David’s heart.
Delight. David took delight twice in this psalm. First, he delighted in the saints around him (verse 3). David often drew distinct lines between the righteous and the wicked. In other psalms he expressed the distress of living with the latter, but here he expressed his pleasure in the righteous ones living in the land. Second, David took delight in the things God had given him: his portion, his cup, the boundary lines of his inheritance (vv. 5-6). “You have made my lot secure,” he wrote, praising God for his sure care.
Rejoicing came out. Maybe he even said, “Man, am I feelin’ it!”Praise. David did not thank God only for his external possessions. He praised God because the Lord counseled and instructed him (v. 7). “Even at night,” God was providing his wisdom to David, and the shepherd-king knew whom to thank. He offered words of praise and “set the LORD always before” him.
Gladness. David lived in a time like most other times. Good and bad both met him in the field, then met him on the throne. We might expect “realism” from such a man; he wouldn’t be given to childlike happiness. But David’s heart rose up with gladness—he was cheered, even gleeful. He allowed for this when it was available, partly because he knew it would not always be there. Troubling times come, and we’ll tackle them when they do. For now, we let gladness do its thing.
Rejoicing. The gladness of David’s heart was expressed on his tongue. Rejoicing came out. Maybe he even said, “Man, am I feelin’ it!” Whatever his words, you knew what was going on inside him. You also knew who put it there. “You fill me with joy,” he wrote of God a few lines later (v. 11).
We’re living in very strange days. Cooped up. Cautious. But what filled David with joy was being in God’s presence. You don’t have to go anywhere to lay hold of that. You may need only to sit in your room, Bible before your eyes, songs of worship washing over your ears, prayers coming from your lips. And in that place, God can fill your heart with fresh rejoicing. Let him meet you today.
—
Jeff Hopper
March 24, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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