Psalms 4:7

"Thou hast put gladness in my heart,

More than they have when their grain and their new wine are increased.

In peace will I both lay me down and sleep;

For thou Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety."

The dramatic contrast in these verses is between the pessimism, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness of the vast majority of mankind with the joyful gladness and satisfaction of the soul truly in harmony with God's will.

It is truly pitiful how little there is to cheer the human heart other than what is promised for those who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

What can the unbeliever expect? At best, his life cannot extend very far into the future; the world's riches shall never be received except by a tragically small fraction of mankind; and those who do receive earthly affluence can never maintain their status except for a few fleeting tragic years. For every mortal life promises only a few days and much trouble. Sickness, disease, incompetence and death itself await every man.

But how wonderful are the precious promises to the children of God! The abundant life, the joyful heart, the happy souls are limited absolutely to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the pure in heart, the meek and lowly. Jesus came and suffered and died for the benefit of all men that indeed they might have "life and have it more abundantly"! How amazing it is that so few are willing to accept upon the terms under which God has made it available!

We like the concise way that Kyle M. Yates described the joyful gladness of Christian service, "God's help in time of need causes more gladness than bumper crops."[7]

"In peace ... I will lay me down and sleep." As Spurgeon said, "They slumber sweetly whom faith rocks to sleep."[8]

These are days when environmentalists are very loud and demanding in their postulations about how to save our earth; but they are totally wrong. Our earth is unequivocally doomed to destruction. God's Word has definitely projected "the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20); and we can be very certain of its ultimate termination; and those who have anchored their hopes in this world alone will also be terminated with it.