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"Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, becasue I have hoped in your word."

~ Psalm 119:74

 

I think it is safe for me to say that we know our lives are to bring praise to God, to glorify him, to please him, to have him rejoice.  For me at least, and perhaps the same is true for you, I tend to think of this very egocentrically and directly.  I typically think of this as my praise and worship of him, my rejoicing in his goodness and grace, my love for him because of his love for me, my obedience directly giving God pleasure.  This is not necessarily wrong, but it is so basic and elementary!  My faith in God is personal, but it is not private.  It is not just ‘me and Jesus.’

Verse 74 of this section of Psalm 119 stuck out to me significantly.  Is the regular rhythm and routine of my life so evidently displaying my hope in the Word of God, that others who observe me would see and know and rejoice?  Can my life give ‘secondhand’ praise to God?

As I contemplate this, it really is not that foreign of a concept; for I have often viewed the lives of other faithful believers and rejoiced over what God has done and is doing in their lives.  I see their hope in God’s Word, their humble obedience of God’s Word, their contented delight in his Word, and praise God for the transforming work of the gospel.  Why is it that I never flip that paradigm around and consider that this should be true of me as well?

I am not exhorting you or me to live so that others will see our lives and praise us.  NO!  I am exhorting you and me to live our lives in such a way so that others who fear the LORD will see our hope in the Word (expressed in our good works) and praise our Father who is in Heaven (Matt. 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12).

Do we know and love and live the Word of God to the extent that others would see and know and rejoice?  Pray with me and obey with me that this would be true.