Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
What is a Christian to do when life is going well? Be happy of course! Dr. J. Vernon McGee once wrote the following about this Psalm:
"I would emphasize the fact that God does not want you to come before Him to worship with a long face. There are times when we have long faces; problems beset us, temptations overcome us, or we come to God in repentance, asking Him for forgiveness. We cast ourselves upon Him. But none of that is worship. You worship God when you come to praise Him. He wants you to be happy. At the time of this writing most of the bars have what is called a “happy hour.” I wish we had a “happy hour” in church, without the liquid. Let’s tune up and get ready to worship the Lord. “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.” That includes everybody. That is universal praise. There is a time coming when the entire world will be able to sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”
Everyone will experience "good times" and "bad times" in life, some more than others. During the "good times" in life, we need to remember to enjoy those times - give God praise, enjoy His blessings and be very thankful. And even in "bad times" we still need to experience the joy that comes from God's presence and express that joy, as Dr. McGee writes. We will talk more about this on Sunday as we conclude our sermon series, "God Is Closer Than You Think." Hope to see you there!
