PSALM 4 More Joy in My Heart
READ: PSALM 4 (COLOSSIANS 2:1–5)
Morning Story: Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
Kids' Questions: Do you get envy of what other people have?
V. 7 “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”
There are very few people who don’t have trouble with envy. But envy can make your soul glum and your spirit bitter. That’s quite understandable. You see how successful your neighbours are. They make financial progress even while they sleep. They have money to invest and they’re given opportunities to make more, hand over fist. They drive nice new vehicles. They win awards and receive honours. And how does this affect you? If you’re not careful you’ll become green with envy!
David experienced something like that. He saw his opponents and critics becoming successful and wealthy. They gathered in bumper crops and their grain and wine abounded. But he was regarded as a loser, someone whose time was past, chased into the wilderness with a few supporters. He could have sunk into bitterness and envy. But the LORD God didn’t let that happen. No, David calls out to God. As he does so, it’s as if the light of God’s face breaks through and drives away the clouds of envy that threaten to darken his heart. A wonderful peace shines through to David’s heart, a peace that passes understanding.
What is possession of material gain and grandeur compared to the possession of God’s love and favour? You can’t take any of those things along with you when you leave this life anyway! In fact, those things are often more a hindrance to the peace of your heart than an advantage. And while material treasure can so easily deteriorate or be stolen away, the peace of God in your heart is a treasure that can never be taken away. That’s something we need to remember, especially when envy begins to creep into our hearts.
That spiritual treasure of abundant peace that gives more joy than material abundance is actually Christ in your heart. The apostle Paul prays in Colossians 2:2–3 that the hearts of the believers may be encouraged “to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.” If you believe that Christ died for your sins, if you live to serve him, then you have that treasure. You won't envy those who don’t have that treasure, but you’ll pity them. For your inner joy outshines the thrill of all the money and stuff the world can offer. What you have is real and lasts forever and ever!
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