A Greater Joy

This last year, I read the entire Little House on the Prairie series. I loved it and actually learned a ton. A continual theme throughout the books is how difficult it is to grow and harvest food. One year, locusts devoured the Ingall’s entire wheat crop before they could harvest any of it. Another year, gophers ate their corn stalks while ravens ate the corn. A tornado took their neighbor’s entire field as well as their house. One winter, was so cold and lasted so long, that to keep from starving, most in their town had to eat all the planting seed in order to survive.

A harvest, even in ideal situations, was not guaranteed.

Perhaps, since the Ingall’s stories are so fresh in my mind, this morning when I read Psalm 4:7, I had a greater appreciation for the point David was making. It says,

“You have put more joy in my heart than they have, even when their grain and wine abound” (Psalm 4:7 ESV).

Twice a year in Israel, there would be a harvest. The fall harvest produced vegetables and fruit and the spring harvest produced the grain. Although Israel and the midwest United States have different climates, I imagine that there were still years in Israel when famine or insects ruined the harvest.

The harvest was a big deal. It meant not only money but food on the table. So, a bountiful harvest was an especially good reason for joy and celebration. It would have been two of the highlights of the year.

Therefore, for David to say that God put a greater joy (NIV) in his heart than even those who were abounding in two different harvests, was a strong comparison. It was kind of like saying, the joy God gives me is better than a huge paycheck and a feast. For kids, an equivalent might be, the joy you put in my heart is greater than Christmas morning and a trip to Disneyland.

Whoa David! That's some big time joy!

I love that he says that God put the joy in his heart. David didn’t have joy because his circumstances were everything he hoped they would be. In verse one and two he says that God had given him relief while he had been in distress and that his honor had been put to shame. 

However, I do see some clues to his infusion of joy from the Lord. In previous verses, I see him pleading for the Lord to answer him (vs.1). I see him requesting for the God to shine His face upon them (vs.6). But most importantly, I see verbs like, know, trust, ponder and dwell. David’s inner life – his mind, emotions, will, and heart were set on God. His circumstances weren’t ideal but He was aligning His inner life with what He knew to be true about God and His character.

The result?

More joy.

My prayer this morning after I read this passage was for God to put in my heart more joy. A joy that is greater than even the best things that this world has to offer. A joy that is not based on my circumstances but on God’s character and promises...a greater joy.

Article HERE about Israel's harvests

Photo by Amos Bar-Zeev on Unsplash