Psalms 82:1-3 God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the “gods”: 2 “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?…6 I said, ‘You are “gods”, you are all sons of the Most High.’”
 
HAVE you ever considered you might be called a “god” under God’s justice system? This is a unique and surprising name God gives to those appointed to be judges in Israel. Asaph, the psalm writer, begins this song declaring God is sovereign and judges the nation through “gods”. And then God speaks in verses 2-7, labeling Israel’s judges in verse 6 “You are ‘gods’; you are all sons of the Most High.’”  Jesus confirmed the LORD was speaking of men here when he said in John 10:34 “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?”
   To label the judges “gods” was to underscore their heaven-based responsibility. Men were to judge Israel through God’s law. We must remember his law was not intended to emphasize punishment. God’s law ws written to help people know how to love God and to love one another. Obeying God’s laws blessed his nation with peace and abundance. A beautiful summary of properly administering God’s laws is found in Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. This is a 3-part purpose: act justly, love mercy, walk humbly.  
   But in verses 2-7, God condemns the “gods” for neglecting this 3-part purpose. They did not act justly: V  2 “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?” They did not love mercy. V 3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. And they did not walk humbly with God. V 5b They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. In response, God judged them. V 7 “But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.”
   God’s grand purpose for his people was to lead them into a just, merciful and humble relationship with him. To emphasize his relationship with Israel, God referred to himself with the image of three personal relationships: 1) Israel’s Father: Isaiah 64:8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 2) Israel’s husband and 3) Israel’s Redeemer: Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband – the LORD Almighty is his name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.  
   We know God now reveals even a more intimate relationship with us through Jesus’ great redemptive work and the Holy Spirit’s personal relationship with us. Now it is time for us to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God and one another.
   Be God’s just “god” to demonstrate God’s justice over the world.  

Psalms 81:13-16 “If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, 14 how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! 15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. 16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
 
VICTORY is defeating the devil. The only way that is possible is to activate God’s Word into your heart. This is not news. God’s people have heard this and written it for generation upon generation. The Christian church has heard it for 2,000 years. Why, then, do so many live in defeat under sin’s control?  
    Perhaps it is too difficult for us to know the depth and breadth of God’s goodness. The human mind is naturally centered on what we can see around us. For example, when God brought Israel from Egypt, he had to teach them to look beyond a life in bondage to a life under his blessings. Even though God demonstrated his power to free them, Israel could not see beyond the desert into the land God promised them. They focused on immediate satisfaction, demanding of God instead of trusting, worshiping and following God.
   Jesus came to help us understand the power of God’s Word to give us victory over evil’s great burden on mankind. He is the Living Word who spoke redemptive healing into broken bodies and resurrection into the dead. He came from heaven under the Spirit’s direction to preach good news to the poor in spirit, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners of sin and recovery of sight for the world blind to the truth. He is Living Word, who spoke to release the oppressed, so we will know the Lord’s victory is available for our souls. (from Luke 4:18-19)
   God created mankind to bless us. He has never ceased with his plan to restore the entire earth into his original blessing.
   But our response is to generally minimize God’s Word. We compromise his truth to fit our desires. Inactive faith deactivates God’s blessings. He holds them, awaiting our response to his promises.
   One day when Jesus approached Jerusalem, he mourned his people’s unfaithfulness to all God had offered them. Luke 13:34-35 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Jesus, God in the flesh, had offered himself with tenderness and kindness to his people. But they continued to reject him. They will only truly see him when he comes in his final victory over evil.
   The Bible tells us of God’s loving desire to bless his people. Learn of God. Love God. Activate  your faith. Believe his promises. Declare victory over sin.
 

Psalms 78:41 Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.  
 
GOD doesn’t like to take tests. When the devil tempted Jesus, our Lord quoted God’s law from Deuteronomy 6:16: Matthew 4:7 It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”  When the Pharisees talked with Jesus, it was not to learn from him but to test him. (Mark 8:11) Testing God is never being satisfied with him. We always want him to prove himself.
   Psalm 78 is a summary of God’s history between Egypt’s bondage and David’s reign. Asaph summarized God’s power, and the wonders he has done.
   He established Jacob ­– the nation Israel – and established his law. He commanded them to teach their children, so future generations would know him. But some soon forgot. The psalmist refers to the men of Ephraim, they did not keep God's covenant
and refused to live by his law. This is Israel, the unfaithful Northern Kingdom.
   Then the psalm points back to the Exodus journey. God led them day and night. V 17 But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. V 18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.
   They were never satisfied with God’s provision. V 20 When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?” The sad truth was v 22 they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. Still God was merciful. V 24 he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.
   But God would not tolerate forever Israel’s disdain for his sovereign care over them. V 31 God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel. But that did not cause them to fear God. V 32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. 33 So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.
   Still they tested God!  he psalmist tells more of God’s power to destroy Egypt and then to establish Israel in the Promised Land. V 56 But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Israel suffered many defeats under God’s judgment until he raised up David to rule Israel.
   A heart that tests God is a heart that wants to reject God. We put God to the test when we see his blessings as something he owes us. “God created us, so he should please us.” The sinner’s first command is, “Love me, LORD, above all things, and worship me only.” The sinner’s prayer is, “Give me this day all I want.”
   Do you feel God owes you? Then remember Jesus: Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!  9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.  
   Because Jesus humbled himself to die for our sins, in his power we can humble ourselves to die to our wants.
 

Psalms 76:1-3 In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. 2 His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. 3 There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.
 
THE LORD God formed Israel to make his name known to the world. He called Abram to establish in Canaan a new nation with a worldwide purpose: Genesis 12:3c All the families on earth will be blessed through you.
   Eventually during David’s and Solomon’s reigns, God firmly established his dwelling place in Zion or Salem as Jerusalem is sometimes called. Through these two kings’ wealth and military strength, God revealed himself to the world.
   But we know that human jealousy divided the nation. Israel to the north, Judah to the south. Israel’s leaders completely rejected God. Judah’s kings were an alternating group of godly and pagan men. Still God made himself known to his people. He did powerful work through such prophets as Elijah and Elisha in Israel. But eventually Israel’s sin was too much. So God dispersed them into neighboring nations, including Assyria.
   God, though, did a great work against Assyria. The LORD’s mighty arm killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers who were set to destroy Jerusalem. V 3 He broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. V 5 Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. The nations knew who protected Judah.
   Still, Judah’s sin was great. God exiled the nation to Babylon. But he made himself known to the nations. Daniel describes God’s hand over Babylon’s pagan king Nebuchadnezzar. God gifted Daniel to interpret dreams. The LORD protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. This caused Nebuchadnezzar to decree: Daniel 3:29e “No other god can save in this way.”
   God returned the Jews to Judah. They rebuilt the temple and the city. Nehemiah and Ezra describe revival worship and reinstating God’s law. God reigned in Zion.
   But other nations would continually control Judah. And for about 400 years, it seemed God had left his people to fend for themselves. But a voice came out of the desert. John the Baptist announced, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) And soon the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:16-17)
   Jesus fulfilled God’s plan. “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.” (Matthew 12:18)
   The gospel is now completing God’s promise to Abram to bless the nations. One day God will again make his dwelling place in Zion. He will come to break the enemies’ flashing arrows and the weapons of war. He will be v 4 resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game.  
   When earthly powers threaten to remove God from his throne, when the church seems to be dispersed and in exile, you can surely know God’s name will be above all forever.
 

​Psalms 75:1-3 We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds. 2 You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly. 3 When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.”
 
“WHAT time is it?” is the question that marks the moment we are to do something and how long we are to do it. You spend much time trying to have more time to do what you like and less time to do what you don’t like.
   In our faith life, it often seems we’re waiting on God to do what we would like him to do. Someone we know often says, “God’s timing is perfect.” Sometimes this is said when one is awaiting a, “Yes!” answer to prayer. And, “God’s timing is perfect.” is a faith statement to thank God for timely blessings.
   God promises his timing is perfect: Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Even God’s judgment is beautiful in its time:  “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly.”
   How is God’s timely judgment beautiful? For one thing, timely discipline is a mark of God’s perfection. He knew when to act to preserve his people from idolatry in the desert. (Exodus 32) Had he delayed his judgment and allowed Israel to rebel, the nation would not have existed. He also knew when to perfectly judge their obedience as they entered the Promised Land. He gave them victories. And he caused their defeat when one man broke his command. (Joshua 12)
   God’s timely judgment is a measure of when Israel needed absolute correction and absolute affirmation. Both served to strengthen their relationship with God.
   Think of your own family situation. When you judge someone needs discipline, it’s good when you justly administer it. When you judge someone needs reward, you perfectly reward them. Good timing is good for loving relationships.
   In general, God’s perfect timing also helps us know Jesus is Messiah. Some of Daniel’s prophecies pointed to the time of Jesus’ advent. The Father timed Jesus’ coming during the Festival of the Tabernacles – God dwelling with us. He timed Jesus’ crucifixion to coincide with the Passover Feast – killing the sacrificial lamb whose blood marked Israel’s freedom from Egypt. And God timed the Spirit’s coming to begin the church at Pentecost as the Jews remembered God giving the Law at Sinai.  
   God also perfectly times the seasons to plant and to harvest. His perfect time gives order to nature, so animals, birds, fish, plants and crops will thrive.
   Under his timetable, people receive Jesus as Savior. His schedule for their lives includes a proper time to learn of God, so they can help others know Jesus at the time God has chosen for them.
   God’s timing is perfect. We must be patient to wait for what we want and what we desire for others. Awaiting Jesus’ coming is especially difficult when we want to immediately experience our Lord’s holy presence and heaven’s perfection.
   In the waiting time, there is serving time. God has perfectly timed your faith, so you have the right time to impact others for Christ.  
     

Psalms 74:1 Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
 
THIS hard question doesn’t sound like a promise, does it? But the question directs us to the promise: V 12 But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth.
   Asaph – a descendant of the first Asaph from Psalm 73 – expected God to keep Israel as his people, even after Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem and God’s temple. This was not as we might see a church destroyed. The Jews saw the temple as the place where God dwelled. It was a representation of heaven on earth. If the temple was gone, God was gone. How could he be their God of old, their king? Could the Jews still worship God? Was his salvation still on the earth?
   But God’s power seems to be missing as the psalm describes Babylon’s harsh destruction summarized in v 8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land. Will God respond? V 11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
   But Asaph knows God. With hope and expectation he extols God’s power to create and guide the universe. Surely God will use this unlimited authority to defeat Israel’s enemies.
   Then he points to God’s covenant with Israel: V 20 Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. The psalmist knows God’s Word. Read carefully this covenant God had spoken to Israel hundreds of years before Babylon’s army destroyed Jerusalem: Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there (a foreign land) you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.  
   Do you get this? Long before Israel was in exile, God prepared them for the exile. He knew they would abandon him, and he would need to judge their idolatry. He planned to redeem their sin and return them to Jerusalem. He would keep them as his people because he had another promise to keep. That promise, of course, is the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.
   The psalmist’s prayed for God to keep Israel as his people: v 21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name. He urged God to take action. V 22 Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. 23 Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.
   Do you see how God has answered that prayer?  Through his profound covenant of grace in Jesus Christ, the LORD has planned for you to be with him. He has defeated the enemy, so you can dwell in God’s Holy Temple forever.
   God is a Promise Keeper. Even if the enemy seems to be winning, the LORD keeps you when you believe his promises are true for you. But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth.

 

Psalm 73:22-25 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
 
ASAPH wrote this psalm. David appointed him to lead worship. This began a family legacy. We’ll read other psalm by Asaph’s descendants written at various times in Israel’s history. We make this point to help us understand God sometimes gives to families a specific purpose for their generations. Psalms 50 and 73-83 bear Asaph’s name, and they are from different men of that family. Psalm 73 is a worship song, celebrating God’s goodness to so richly be all we need.  
   In summary the psalmist first wonders why bad people have success. He believes v 1 surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But his faith in God’s rule over Israel faltered when he v 3 envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
   He couldn’t match the ease of life the rich and powerful had attained as they disobeyed God’s laws. They seemed to be free of common problems and illnesses. They were prideful, violent people. V 7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
   The harshest condemnation speaks to their arrogance against God. They acted as if they ruled heaven and earth as their own. v 9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. And they arrogantly believe God has no knowledge of their evil intents. V 11 They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”  
   The psalm wonders if being faithful is worthwhile. V 13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
   But then he understands the ultimate fate of those who appear successful. V 18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
   He comes to understand he is the richest of all. V 23 I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
   It’s easy to want what everyone else wants. It’s easy to feel that those who have much possess all the power. For a time many do. But if they have not Christ, for eternity they have only dark emptiness of pain and suffering.
   All we desire on earth must begin with desiring God. V 28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
   Pursue God. Live for God. Exalt his name. Enrich your life. Enrich the world with his love.
 

​Psalms 69:1-3 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. 2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. 3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
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Mark 4:38-39 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
 
PSALM 69 is one of David’s anguished laments over his sins and the many who oppose him. His guilt, his enemies and it seems God’s silence had become as rising water that threatened to spiritually drown him. He believed his endless cries for help had no response.
   The storm was real for Jesus’ disciples one night on the Sea of Galilee. That furious squall was more than the experienced boatmen could defend against. Their hope was to awaken Jesus with the desperate cry, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” With three words, “Quiet! Be still!” the LORD of the universe answered their plea for mercy.
   Consider how quiet the disciples’ hearts also became in that moment, too. But then Jesus’ question sparked a different type of unrest, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) Too little faith causes many furious squalls in our hearts, doesn’t it?
   Was “no faith” also David’s problem? Despite his many victories for the LORD, David felt the furious squall of relentless guilt and accusations flood his heart. He apparently was praying and possibly even singing to God in confession. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. But apparently God was not responding. Was the LORD sleeping, trusting David could manage the storm?  
   The disciples knew Jesus personally, and they had seen him perform nature-changing miracles. David had witnessed God transform his life from a small-town shepherd to become the king of Israel. But then the disciples and David found themselves in the midst of raging storms. In very different circumstances and generations apart, these especially appointed men of God suddenly could no longer see God in the storm.
   How about you? If you’re a Christian you are an especially appointed person of God. God has called you to see and know his life-transforming ways. You may not have killed a giant, seen a leper healed or heard God speak, “Be quiet!” But if you speak faith in Jesus, you have heard Jesus speak through the Spirit, “Come, follow me.” (Mark 1:17)
   That means you sometimes need to follow Jesus into the storm. We all encounter spiritual attacks and physical storms. It’s easy to feel our throats are dry when we pray, and we wonder why God isn’t answering. It’s fearful to face physical harm when we see no means of protection.
   But your confidence in God’s protection should always look to one place: the cross. The cross is the evidence God has very specific, personal interest in your life. He hasn’t entirely given himself to you, so you will be alone. He has given himself to you, so you will be safe with him.   
  
 

Psalm 68:1, 35 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him…35 You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!
 
THESE are the first and last verses of Psalm 68. The song celebrates God’s powerful work to lead his people out of Egypt into the land he promised them. As is customary in such songs, there are many verses that extol God’s power to do his will. God scatters his enemies. He leads his people forward. V 17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the LORD [has come] from Sinai into his sanctuary.  
   As the psalm confirms God’s power, it also assures Israel their omnipotent God is a very personal Father. He is V 5 a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families. 10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor. 19 Praise be to the LORD, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
   This is the gospel. We need God to arise and to come to our aid. We were enslaved under Satan’s authority. God personally arose from heaven and came down to scatter his enemy Satan from control over your life. And now the active power of Jesus’ name will redeem the captives. Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
   The gospels record the battle. From Jesus’ birth, Satan attempted to destroy him through Herod’s evil order to kill they infants in Bethlehem. (Mattthew 2:16-18) Satan’s legions roared against their exorcisms: Mark 1:26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. As a result Jesus’ power became evident to the Jews. Luke 4:36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” And Jesus authorized his disciples to wage the war: Luke 9:1-2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
   And then came the great power of Jesus’ resurrection. Death is defeated. There is the good news that  if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
           The people of Israel could worship God when they considered his personal power to make them his own. You, Christian, can worship God and celebrate his personal power free you from Satan and to take you into heaven. Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

Psalms 67:1-2 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, 2 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
 
YOU may be familiar with the prayer for God’s face to shine upon us. It’s from the common benediction of Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. Another way to say this is, “May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.” (New Living Translation) And perhaps a third way to express this prayer is to say, “May God’s face light up when he sees you!” Why does it matter to Israel that God expresses his loving, kind blessings toward them?
   There are three reasons. The prayer is first a confession of God’s omnipotent control over Israel. When the people prayed for God to smile on them, they confessed that his smile is his blessing that leads to physical and spiritual peace for their lives. They also, in turn, know that his frown is his curse. It leads to spiritual and physical despair.
   Israel’s faithful people who worshiped God understood that the core of their relationship with God was his promise of blessing and curse: Deuteronomy 11:26-28 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
   The faithful Jews understood God was true to his Word. In Israel’s history, beginning in the Exodus desert, when they obeyed God, they prospered. When they rejected God, the LORD cursed Israel with swift judgment and pagan rule over the land. (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges &1 Samuel 1-2 record some of this.)
   A second reason Israel prayed “the LORD make his face smile on you.” was to remind themselves of their responsibility to worship him with all their heart – their obedience, love, devotion and praise to God. If you seek God’s smile, you must raise God above all things and worship hm only.
   The third reason for God’s smile on Israel is that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. The worshiping Jews prayed they would share God’s life-giving law and blessing with the world. God commands us to share his smile.
   Today God’s smile is his salvation into sin’s darkness. His smile is the good news of forgiveness, resurrection and joy of eternal life. God’s smile is the gospel’s transforming power and the Spirit’s presence within you. God’s smile is Jesus interceding for you before God’s throne. It is Jesus promise to be with you always even to eh end of the age. (Matthew 28:21)  
   You will surely think of others ways God smiles on you. Are you sharing his smile? When you do, you confess God is the omnipotent power of the universe and of your life. You tell the world you worship God, devoting your heart to his commands.
   In view of your salvation in Jesus Christ, may your smile sing to the world the psalmist’s song: Psalm 67:3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the  peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. 5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. 7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.