Sing with joy

♦ October 15, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment


(NIV) Psalm 32:11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2 Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3 Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;

he is faithful in all he does.

 

I sometimes think of all of the  people from the Old Testament I want to meet in heaven.

 

  • Isaiah, of course with his account of seeing the Lord in His throne room. And I will ask him what he was thinking and feeling as he penned that wonderful piece (we know it as the 40th chapter) where he speaks comfort to God’s people, and promises a renewal of their strength.
  • Deborah, the only female judge, whose army of men wielding only spears defeated Sisera and his 900 iron chariots
  • Ruth, whose loyalty was exceeded only by her trust
  • Esther, who overcame fear of personal harm to save her people
  • Rahab, whose obedience enabled her to save her family and earned her a place in the Hebrews Hall of Fame (Chapter 11)
  • Nehemiah, who left the comforts of the palace of Artexerxes to lead the remnant left in Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.

 

And then there is David, who played his harp first for his father’s sheep and then for King Saul. David, who was called the apple of God’s eye, yet who acknowledged his sin was ever before him.

 

I will ask to hear the stories not yet told, and to rejoice with him over his love for God and his account of redemption. And then I will ask him to play his harp, perhaps singing those beautiful words, “as the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee.”

 

And as David sings a new song of praise to the King of Kings, I will join in with my own new song worshipping God for all He is worth. Then I will talk to the leaders of the first century churches.

 

But for the first one thousand years I will sit at Jesus’ feet, I will hold family and friends close, and I will sing with joy unspeakable and full of glory. That is what I will do when I get to heaven. How about you?

 

May we live today in a way that is pleasing to God, anticipating the joys of heaven while being the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth.

 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

 

 

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