The gladness of God

Gladness.

Joy.

Happiness.

Contentment.

All of those are summed up in the feelings we experience when we seek and receive God's blessings.

May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you rule the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you. (Psalm 67:3-5)

Almost like a praise chorus in church nowadays, verses three and five are identical. The chorus line after the verse. (Grin)  I think the songwriter wanted to emphasize the fact that we will find true joy in God, and then we will "export" it, so to speak, to other people and other lands.

There's a lot of talk nowadays from the talking heads on the cable shows and the podcasts and the social media feeds (well, actually I don't know that for sure, because I don't "do" social media, but I hear about it!) on our economy. Arrows on charts go up. Arrows on charts go down.

Lots of somber nodding about imports and exports. I guess I have a very simplistic view: I think about it like when I go on a diet. As long as there are more calories expended (exercise, etc) than are taken in (meals, snacks) I can expect good results. In much the same way, I expect that as long as our country exports more than it imports, we probably will have a balance sheet that looks better than if those numbers were reversed!

One of the things that the psalm says we SHOULD export is gladness in God. 
What?

Yes, true gladness and joy are found in God. Gladness in stuff is futile. Stuff can be taken away in a moment of time. Stuff can be destroyed in an instant. Just take a peek at Job 1:13-19. . . . 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19) 

Gladness in God, though, is eternal - no one can take it away from us. And the prayer in this psalm is all about telling the nations about our gladness. But there is something important we need to see here: we can't "export" gladness in God to other nations, or even to our neighbors, if WE are not glad in God!

How can we sincerely tell other people how glad they will be when they seek Him, if we are not real and genuine in our own worship? How can we tell our neighbors or people we meet, "Be glad in God! Seek Him!" if we are not ourselves glad in Him?

We can't read this in honesty: "May the peoples praise you, O God," if we do not praise Him ourselves. 

Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits— (Psalm 103:2)

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Hebrews 13:15)

Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago. (Isaiah 25:1)

The roots of the praise tree are deeply set in gratitude. God is our all-satisfying resource; our first and best possession is our relationship with Him. We should take that gratitude for His benefits, His faithfulness, and His plans for our good, and speak it to Him. Let the gladness of God fill our hearts, because then we can "export" it to others.