Leap for joy and sing with praise
This is the second in a series of studies on praise and worship.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
Psalm 28:7 (NIVUK)
For vast swathes of the world the conundrum of the modern age is that while we enjoy so much material affluence and technological advancement, there is so much discontentment, sorrow, and depression. There seems to be a lack of joy and praise in many lives. How can we have the joy in our hearts that makes us leap like newborn lambs and places a song on our lips?
We can look at King David’s comments in the header scripture and come away with the impression that two distinct themes are being expressed. First, God is David’s saviour: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me…’. Secondly, David was a joyful and grateful person, as he continues, ‘My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.’ Both of these points are true, but to read the verse in this way misses a key element of what David is saying.
The first and second parts of this verse are connected, as the parallelism shows: the Lord is mentioned in lines one and four and David’s heart is mentioned in lines two and three. David is showing that it is precisely because the Lord is his strength and shield that he can trust him and receive help, therefore he could leap for joy and have a song of praise on his lips.
People often search for happiness and contentment in a big bank balance or in the latest gadget that has come onto the market, but eventually, the realisation dawns that real satisfaction cannot be found in these things; when that happens, joy dissipates, and discontentment and depression can set in. The only source of lasting joy is the recognition that the Lord is our Protector, Sustainer, and Saviour. He is our ultimate satisfaction.
Whatever you are going through in life, ‘Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.’ (Psalm 55:22). The Lord is our ‘Rock’ who hears our cries for mercy and will be our shepherd, carrying us forever (Psalm 28:1, 6, 9). That knowledge alone should fill us with joy and praise.
Let’s resolve to go forward day by day, casting our cares on the Lord, trusting in his protection, his help, and ultimate salvation. The result will be greater joy in our lives, and, like David, we will be able to sing a grateful song.
Prayer
Loving Father, your Son Jesus is more precious than any possessions, and more valuable than gold. Please put a skip of joy in our step, and desire on our tongue to praise you, for he is our delight, satisfaction, and salvation. In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.
Study by Barry Robinson
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England, the Midlands, and Wales
Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church