THE REJOICING HEART (1)

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; MY HEART trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore MY HEART greatly REJOICES…” – Psalm 28:7a

Abiding in God’s Word and Trusting in Him are the Keys to the REJOICING HEART: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; MY HEART trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore MY HEART greatly REJOICES, and with my song I will praise Him” (Psa.28:7). The Glad Heart is the precursor to the Rejoicing Heart.  God is the Author and Sustainer of the Glad Heart, but He wants us to transcend passive Gladness to active Rejoicing.

God has given us His Word, yet many Believers are confused on the matter of knowing His will. We spend weeks and months on end struggling to know His will for our lives regarding where to school, what career to pursue, who to marry, or where to reside. God never intended the revelation of His will and guidance in our lives to be difficult. There are commandments, statutes, or precepts in His Word, as well as the encouragement to obey. His Word is our Guide to Living and abiding in it, we cannot miss His Way: “The statutes of the Lord are right, REJOICING the HEART; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psa.19:8).

The New International Version says: “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psa.19:8). That is: God’s Way is Right! And following His Way brings us JOY and light to the eyes! God’s Word is ever clear. It’s never been His intention to make life a mystery that we cannot solve. God wants us to live for Him, and He’s given us His Word to tell and show us how to do it! This is the first key to the Rejoicing Heart – Abiding in God’s Word!

Our meditative verse presents the second secret to the Rejoicing Heart: TRUST in GOD – unwavering confidence! The New International Version describes the phrase “my heart greatly rejoices” as “My heart LEAPS for JOY”! David saw that God was his strength and shield, hence he could trust in Him to help in his time of need. This made his heart leap for joy and for him to break out in a song of praise to God. It is the heart that trusts in God that can GREATLY REJOICE and sing new songs to praise God!

When something great happens in the life of a person, many will leap for joy. It could be a physical leaping, but often it is leaping in the heart with great excitement.  Occasions of leaping joy could be the birth of a first child to first time parents. It could be when a teenager graduates from school or when someone gets the long desired promotion at work or a good report from the doctor.

Receiving good news is always good, but often that news is just temporary. Nothing can compare with knowing that God is on our side and that He gives us the needed strength and protection. There are many trials, troubles and tough situations in life. It may appear as if everything is negative, bleak, and gloomy. However, when we know that God is our strength, shield, and help, it causes extreme joy and excitement in our hearts. We know that no matter what is happening or will happen God is with us!

Beloved, standing on the better covenant in Christ, we can have this extreme joy that David had, and more. God really loves us and is willing to manifest as our Strength and Shield. Let’s put all of our hope and trust in Him. When trials or troubles come, our hearts can still leap for joy because we know that God is on our side and will take care of us. He will not abandon or forsake us. Like a little child jumping and shouting for joy, we can jump and shout praises of joy to God for what He is doing in and through us. We are His inheritance. He will bless us, shepherd us, and bear us up forever (v.9).