Sing for Joy
Psalms 95:1-7 (NIV) 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Psalms 16:7-11 (NIV) 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
During our last devotional, we learned that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It is not the same as happiness, which is related to our circumstances. Instead, joy emanates from deep within our being and is a product of our relationship with God. I suggested if you have lost your joy to search out scriptures promising joy and read them out loud.
After reading the scriptures, pray over them. Thank God for His Word, that is ever faithful, and ever true.
We can see that David sang when he had joy, and he sang when he needed joy. Paul instructed the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.
Do you see a theme here?
A number of yeas ago I wrote the following poem about joy and about the power of our words. I pray today’s devotion will enable you to seek a deep joy.
Speak Joy, Hope and Love
Out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks. Our dreams and schemes, the
essence of what we believe is portrayed,
or sometimes betrayed, by our words.
If you lack joy, but want it, must have it,
speak joy and let the seeds of joy be
planted deep within your heart. Let
your heart speak joy.
If you lack hope, but want it, need it,
cannot live without it, speak hope and
let hope find a resting place within your
heart. Let your heart speak hope.
If you lack love, but know that without
it your heart will surely shrivel and
die, speak love, show love, be all about love. Let
your heart speak love.
Out of the mouth the abundance of the
heart speaks. Speak joy, speak hope,
speak love.
May the God of our salvation pour abundant joy upon you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
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