TODAY IN THE WORD
In the closing days of World War II, a trainload of 2,500 Jews, many of them children, were en route from Bergen-Belsen to another Nazi concentration camp for “termination.” Fortunately for them, the U.S. Army’s 30th Infantry Division found the train, rescued the starving prisoners, and evacuated them to safety. This stirring episode was forgotten until a few years ago, when a high school history teacher sent his students to interview World War II veterans for an oral history project. When the class posted their project on the Internet, including photos taken by the soldiers, the survivors from that train contacted the school and arranged for a reunion with their rescuers. The long-delayed reunion took place at the high school.

Rescue and justice inspire great joy, as Psalm 94 also shows. The psalmist was experiencing a discouraging situation. The wicked seemed to be getting off scot-free! They spoke and acted arrogantly, using their power to exploit and oppress others and boasting they had pulled the wool over God’s eyes (vv. 4–7). How long would He wait to punish them? When would justice be restored (v. 2)? Why did He not come to help those who were obedient and faithful?

No matter how long the delay, the psalmist knew, God would not be mocked. He sees all, knows all, and will certainly act with righteousness and justice (vv. 8–11; Gal. 6:7). From the perspective of those who love Him, such actions are a blessing, even when it means discipline for them (v. 12). God delights in instructing those with teachable hearts how better to obey. For the wicked, though, His actions are a judgment on their pride. Today, believers can still relate to this “anxiety”—that the wicked are triumphing and the righteous are failing. But there is “consolation”—that God cannot be corrupted or fooled and never forsakes His people. These truths bring joy to our hearts (v. 19; see Prov. 21:15)!

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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What truths about God bring joy to your heart and soul? Is it His power and awesomeness? His perfect justice and pure holiness? His sweet mercy and lovingkindness? Where would we be without His greatness and goodness in our lives? Sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down in circumstances and our own shortsightedness and forget who God is and all He’s done for us. Restoring our joy, then, can be a matter of refocusing on truths that endure, rather than fixating on how things seem at the moment.

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