Psalm 4:7 Fill my heart with joy
    when their grain and new wine abound.
(I greatly prefer the alternative translation:
You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.)

We tend to let our joy be dependent on our circumstances, but God has much better in mind for us. When we are focused on our circumstances, all sorts of things can shake us, and we have no real stability. When we are focused on God’s kingdom and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) we can have peace regardless of what is going on, and joy in the process. Simply knowing we are loved by our Father God should bring us joy that can be had no other way! Children are happy when they are assured of their parents’ love, and that their parents love each other. Sadly, many parents fail to grasp how to communicate their love to their children, or to each other, for that matter. Discipline is an essential part of parental love, and that is sadly lacking in too many homes. Hebrews 12 gives a very good exposition of discipline as love, and we need to take it to heart in our families as well as in our relationship to our heavenly Father. When we are secure in His love, then joy is our usual state of being, to the amazement and envy of those around us.

This is very applicable right now. My wife and I are at a hot-springs hotel, celebrating our 56^th wedding anniversary, but several things have not gone as planned. For starters, it rained all day yesterday, so the sightseeing we had planned became out of the question, and there were various other things as well. However, we have the assurance that none of those inconveniences change the reality of God’s love for us in the slightest. Today we will be attending worship at a church where the pastor, and probably a sizable percentage of the congregation, are deaf. We have known that pastor for over 50 years, and are really looking forward to it. This is a rare opportunity for my wife to interpret for me, rather than the other way around. We are to receive each moment of today as a gift from our loving heavenly Father, and rejoice, whatever our flesh might think in the moment. God has been incredibly gracious to us over the past 56 years, and He will continue to be so until we are with Him in glory!

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s a bit ironic that I would need it, when You told me to rest, relax, and rejoice in You several years ago. Help us receive Your joy with gratitude, giving You glory by our response to everything that happens today. Thank You. Praise God!