The Secret of Gladness

Thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence. (Psalm 21:6b)

Ps. 21 and 20; Ps 16:8-11; Prov. 3:13-18; Acts 14:17

What Is God Saying?

The twenty-first Psalm is one of two consecutive royal Psalms. They were sung to and about a king, certainly a king of Judah, and perhaps King David. Psalm 20 was a litany, used before the King went to battle. Psalm 21 is a song of triumph to welcome his return. Verses 1-7 express thanksgiving for victory which comes from God. Verses 8-13 speak of confidence that God will continue to triumph over all enemies. God subdued the king's enemies in this battle, but He is not through. Neither is the king finished with wars. There will be more to come. Though ‘evil is planned against you ... they will not succeed’ (Ps. 21.11). ‘God will put them to flight’ (Ps. 21: 12). There is reason to be thankful, glad, and confident because God is always with you. ‘Thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence.’ This is a psalm of thanksgiving, gladness, confidence, and victory.

How Does This Apply To Us?

This is still the mosaic of a Christian's life. It was real for David the king. It was real for David's Lord, Jesus Christ (the next psalm leads to the Cross itself, the first words of which were spoken by Jesus on the Cross), and it is real for us. We have battles to wage. We have enemies to subdue, but we have reasons to be thankful. The secret of all our gladness, in good times and bad, is found in the joy of God's presence. Sadness and gladness; the words sound so much alike yet the difference is great. We can go from the depths to the heights, from the nighttime of fear and anxiety to the daytime of confidence and gladness, from thinking all is lost to knowing all is well. ‘Thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence.’ ‘If God be for us who can be against us?’ If God be with us how can we be sad?

Pray With Me

Lord, all my gladness begins and is fulfilled in the joy of Your presence. I have tried to find gladness in other ways and other things. I have hunted for it, bargained for it, and schemed for it, but like a mirage, it has always been just beyond my reach. Thinking it was mine and that I could hold it in my hands, was like embracing a cloud—no substance, no permanence, no warmth.

True gladness only comes when I covet and claim and cherish the joy of Your presence. To court gladness by av0iding the joy of Your presence is to ask for honey without sweetness, flowers without fragrance, a day without sun. To seek gladness along paths where I cannot expect the joy of Your presence is to find sadness. Your presence never leaves. It can be grieved or pleased. It can be ignored or honored, but it is always there. Let my life be so lived that I may know the joy of Your presence rather than the judgment of Your presence.

In the future, I would look for and trust in the gladness that comes from the joy of Your presence. Let my gladness consist of partnership with You in the work of redemption and healing. Let my gladness come from seeking and finding the lost. Let me be glad in the task of bringing home hearts that are lonely and wandering. Let me be glad in the privilege of binding up and healing the wounded in spirit. Let me find gladness in sharing everything, even the last crust of bread, as if mine were the inexhaustible riches of Heaven. Then, as a flower crowns the stem, so gladness will blossom and continue to draw its unfading, living beauty from the joy of Your presence.

Through Him who has taken the sting from death and the penalty from judgment, and left me with the joy of the Father's presence. Amen.

Moving On In The Life of Prayer

In prayer, we constantly listen to what makes God glad and we discover what makes us glad. Sin forgiven, hearts repentant, faith renewed, God's will made clear, concern for others who have great needs, and finding ways we can help them—these are all steps that lead us into God's Presence where there is fullness of joy. Prayer is a path of gladness that leads to more gladness. In its purest form prayer is becoming aware of God's presence. That is the true secret of gladness.