Psalm 148:1-2, 5 - “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts…Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.”

This past week a Christian in India reached out to me online because he is studying with a Hindu friend who has a couple of questions about the origin of Satan and evil. I asked our brother if he would let me organize my thoughts in the blog because others might benefit from thinking through these questions also. His friend asked two questions:

(Originally posted 1/3/13. Just three months before our son Whitaker went to be with the Lord.)

Ps. 4:7 - "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."

Where does your joy come from? Does it come from the superficial circumstances of life or from something more substantial? This week as you read Psalm 4, consider David's declaration in the closing verses valuing the joy of a growing relationship with God. As David sought to be close to God during a difficult time in his life, he compared the physical prosperity his antagonists were experiencing with the vibrant spiritual relationship he had with God (Ps. 4:6). After observing the differences, David said that the joy he received from being close to God was worth more than the material wealth his opponents valued.

Because David's joyful relationship with God did not rely on physical circumstances he was able to finish his Psalm with the comforting imagery of verse 8.