William Barclay said: “Men need to discover the lost radiance of the Christian faith. In a worried world, the Christian should be the only man who remains serene. In a depressed world, the Christian should be the only man who remains full of the joy of life.”

The path of life” signifies the way that leads to life. It is a wisdom term for the fullness of life that only the wise could achieve

God’s blessing attends the life lived in the presence of God. The psalmist conceives of life in fellowship with God both in this world and beyond

Note three things connected to rejoicing:

1. Laughter. Salvation always brings joy.

2. Singing. Happy people always sing.

3. Witnessing. Spread His name among the heathen.

One cannot know the Lord personally without rejoicing and showing happiness

Acts 3 where Peter is used of God to heal a crippled beggar: ‘Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God’ (vs. 6–8).

In Psalm 126 the psalmist describes the joy that should come as a response to God’s redemption. In the past God’s restorative work had cast Israel into a state of surprised shock—they

Christ’s resurrection makes us certain that we too will be raised from the dead. Believers are “born again” from their sinful state into the life of grace, which, in the end, will become a life of glory. We shouldn’t be discouraged by earthly trials, for we have the Resurrection to be our backup

This surprise redemption is unlike any other. Its hope—Christ’s sure resurrection—gives us incredible security: We have been “born again, not from perishable seed but imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Pet 1:23). We should be awed by this incredible hope and respond with obedience, praise, and love for our neighbor (1 Pet 1:22).

Are you awed by God’s grace

In other words, the psalmist speaks from an already-not yet perspective. Christians can relate to this moment in their own spiritual lives. We have been saved from sin and death by the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. However, our salvation is not yet completely worked out. We still suffer, sin and die. But we know that the future will bring the full realization of our restoration. Thus, we can rejoice in God’s work in our life as we ask him to complete our salvation.

The believer’s joy is based on such a solid foundation that even in the midst of the numerous spiritual, physical, psychological and emotional conflicts of life he is capable of regarding all sufferings and afflictions from the perspective of overcoming them, if not now, then in the future. This is the perspective of victory over problems already achieved in Christ. We are not guaranteed protection from storms in the Christian life but

Peter blesses the Father for the new birth he grants his people (v. 3a), which leads to their majestic hope of final salvation (vv. 3b–5); this expectation of final salvation leads them to rejoice

One of the most rewarding sights in the world is to see something that has fallen into neglect be restored to usefulness. Some of you in this congregation may be in the restoration business, and surely, all of us have had something restored whether it is furniture, an old car, or any other item. Seeing anything brought back to its original beauty and its designed usefulness is a wonderful sight.

Even the summer drought of the Negev is followed by the welcome winter floods through the wadis. So Yahweh can intervene again in salvation, and a plea is brought for this to happen. Their parched lives need renewing

The two images of renewal (4b, 5–6) are not only striking: they are complementary

The believer’s joy is based on such a solid foundation that even in the midst of the numerous spiritual, physical, psychological and emotional conflicts of life he is capable of regarding all sufferings and afflictions from the perspective of overcoming them, if not now, then in the future. This is the perspective of victory over problems already achieved in Christ. We are not guaranteed protection from storms in the Christian life but

We must not forget that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is not the same as the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The New Testament shows us that the Holy Spirit distributes various gifts to various believers for various reasons. Not everyone has the gift of teaching. Not everyone has the gift of preaching. Not everyone has the gift of giving. Not everyone has the gift of administration. But when we come to the fruit of the Spirit, it is not as if some Christians have the fruit of faithfulness while others have love, or that some Christians have the fruit of goodness and gentleness while others have peace and selfcontrol. Every Christian is to manifest all of the fruit of the Spirit, and the more we grow in grace, the further we progress in our sanctification, the more gentle we should be, the more patient we should be, the more faithful we should be, and, obviously, the more joyful we should be.

His promises are secure, as Calvin reminds us:

In order then that joy may succeed our present sorrow, let us learn to apply our minds to the contemplation of the issue which God promises. Thus we shall experience that all true believers have a common interest in this prophecy, That God not only will wipe away tears from their eyes, but that he will also diffuse inconceivable joy through their hearts. (5:103)