For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with Salvation.

Note: The following is the complete Psalm 149

1. Praise the Lord!
   Sing to the Lord a new song,
   And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
2. Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
   Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.
3. Let them praise His name with dancing;
   Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.
4. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
   He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.
5. Let the godly ones exult in glory;
   Let them sing for joy on their beds.
6. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
   And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7. To execute vengeance on the nations
   And punishment on the peoples,
8. To bind their kings with chains
   And their nobles with fetters of iron,
9. To execute on them the judgment written; This is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the Lord!

Today, many would struggle displaying their feelings in such a public way because people are very concerned with what others think and say about them! Very aware of this concern, the enemy uses language (semantics) to intimidate people. Examples would be all the “ism’s”. Nowadays people are so concerned NOT to be called racists, sexists, etc. that they accept things and associate with trends and movements they normally would NOT (OR MAYBE ONLY TO SOME EXTENT) agree with! The consuming concern about what others think about them, provides an opening for the enemy to force them off course as far as their culture and way of life are concerned.

GUARD yourself from being OVERLY concerned about acceptance by your neighbor! You don’t know what your neighbor’s standards are! Being liked and accepted by some could mean you are not being right with God! Be right with God and everything else will take care of itself! Back to King David displaying his feelings for God through public worship. Today, many don’t express their love and worship to God publicly! People doing so, often are looked down upon. King David’s wife Mical’s reaction shows us that this was true even in ancient times. King David, however, was living a life of being right with God, a life of ‘total abandon’ to God. That’s why God called him ‘a man after His own Heart’!

Finally, let’s not forget this: John 3:16 – God so loved The World, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life! Not everyone has King David’s heart, his attitude and his ability to express his love for and to God! Those amongst us who carry heavy burdens such as sickness, persecution, poverty etc., God lifts up by providing them the free gift of salvation and everlasting life. Though their circumstances are ‘pushing them down to the ground’ – but even there, in that unlikely place, God’s love surrounds them! By submitting their hearts and their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, even in the midst of their difficult circumstances, God ‘sets them apart’, makes them saints, citizens of God’s Kingdom! Salvation has made them beautiful in the eyes of God and of man! When looking into the eyes of society’s outcasts – people that live in abject poverty, that suffer from hunger and illnesses, the ones who accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives stand out! Their eyes reflect the purity of their re-generated souls and communicate the truth, peace, love and kindness that comes with being a child of the living God.

My prayer for all of you is that you would be able to put aside all fear and worry about what other people think of you! That you instead, will be able to worship God with abandon! That you will be made beautiful by your salvation! That you become a skilled ambassador of God’s Kingdom and an effective messenger of the Best News the world has ever known: The Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Have A Blessed Day!