There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased (Psalm 4:6–7 NKJV).
Pirates were notoriously evil, so you can imagine what the atmosphere must have been like on board a pirate ship. Every man was out for himself, to gain as much wealth as he could, and it didn’t matter how he got it. When the crew plundered an enemy, the pirates often spent all their booty on drinking, gambling and wenches until they ran out and had to go sailing again!
If any pirate came on board who had a spark of good in his heart or an actual conscience, he often didn’t last long. Surely, as he looked around at his crewmates, he must have wondered if there was any good to be found among them.
I don’t know about you, but in this day and age, especially if you watch a lot of news or TV in general, you may be asking yourself the same question: “Who can show me any good?” I know I can get easily discouraged by the state of our world even from watching a few commercials! Those of you who are old enough to have lived awhile on this planet can attest to the fact that our culture has taken a nosedive into the toilet.
Top that with the corruption of our government and the state of our economy, and it’s no wonder most Americans drink alcohol, take drugs, or are on some kind of antianxiety or antidepressant.
But in this psalm, David gives us the answer to the question “Who can show us any good?” It is God and God alone who is good, and who is the Creator and source of all things good. And those of us who really know Him can be filled with such great joy that nothing on this earth can compare!
If you’re looking to this world to satisfy you, you’re never going to be happy; but if you look to Jesus, you’ll find an inexhaustible, reliable, never-fluctuating source of true joy that this world cannot take away. I, for one, can attest to this truth because I was once in the world and very unhappy and now am a servant of the Most High God and have more joy than I thought possible. I pray that thought blesses you and encourages you today!
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17 NIV).
MaryLu Tyndall