"But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You."
"You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."
"For You make him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence."
"Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have broken rejoice."
"But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress."
"My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; and my soul, which You have redeemed."
"My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God."
"For You, O lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."
"I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart."
"Let the godly ones exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds."
"A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken."
"They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness."
What is your source of joy? Is it your circumstances or is it the presence of the Lord? Let's make a few observations just from the few verses above:
- refuge in God brings joy
- God's presence brings joy
- brokenness brings joy
- God's lovingkindness brings joy
- God's redemption brings joy
- God's justice brings joy
- God's works bring joy
- God's testimonies bring joy
- God's goodness and righteousness bring joy
All of these attributes of our heavenly Father equate to joy in the life of the believer. We do not find our joy in our own strength, because that is fleeting - we find it in the permanent, unmovable, unshakable character of God.
Probably the verse that stood out to me this morning was the one that said we should sing for joy on our beds - did I wake up today singing and joyful?
How about you?
I see Jesus in all these verses. He is our refuge, He is with us always, He is our strength, He is our Redeemer, He will return and set all things right, He is the Creator, He is the Word, He is our righteousness. The Heavenly Father's gift of faith gives us the ability to see that Jesus is all these things, even though we don't see Him, producing that deep down joy that is beyond the reach of what our words can express - 1 Peter 1:8. Thanks, friend.
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