That got your attention.
Good grief… we’re taught not to shout. So how in the world will shouting bring happiness?
Good question.
These verses from the Book of Psalms opened my eyes…
But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in you.
Keep them shouting for joy because you are defending them.
Fill all who love you with your happiness.
For you bless the godly man, O Lord;
you protect him with your shield of love.
The psalmist pleads with God to “make” all who trust in Him rejoice.
That’s such an odd thing. Doesn’t it seem like everyone who trusts God would naturally have an abundance of joy in their hearts overflowing with praise to the Father?
Ever notice… everything isn’t as it seems?
The other day, Tim read a passage from a book he was enjoying. I can’t even begin to tell you what it was about. But I did remember one word. Critical.
I feel like I’ve been developing a critical spirit recently, and it’s the last thing I want to to do or be.
If you’re analytical or live with one, you know that being able to analyze things isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a great characteristic… sometimes. The thing is… without even noticing… I can go from being analytical to critical in a blink. Maybe you relate?
Growing up, my dad and I were pretty close and if I were to say anything negative about this wonderful man, it’s that he sometimes had a critical spirit.
I guess you could say that I come by it naturally.
The thing is… when we follow Christ… we should no longer want to do the “natural” thing… instead, we should want to be like Christ in how we think and act.
I mentioned to my husband that I was concerned that I wasn’t the person I used to be… positive… seeing the best in people and situations.
We chatted for a bit about this. He encouraged me by telling me that he still thinks I’m one of the most positive people he knows, but that lately I have had more than the usual number of disappointments and I need to give myself some grace.
We aren’t quick to offer grace to ourselves, are we?
That being said… I also need to be very aware of my attitude and outlook and make every effort to put on the mind of Christ each day. I need to choose to be purposeful and thoughtful in this area, in order to get “out” of the negative thought process.
Maybe because this has been on my mind, I read this verse a little differently…
But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in you.
I read it seeing my inadequacy and recognizing that I need help in finding joy some days.
My trust doesn’t seem to falter… my patience does.
And that seems to be the chink in my armor for the critical spirit to come on in.
It’s like the psalmist knows this state I’m in and wants to make sure that I rejoice in the Lord… regardless.
Do you remember the words from this old song…
Take joy my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear (source)
I want my attitude to be a joyful one that honors and blesses God. (And others.)
There is encouragement for us in this verse…
Keep them shouting for joy because you are defending them.
When we trust God we have no doubt He is defending us.
Okay… sometimes it’s hard because this is where our faith comes in and we often are unaware of all the battles that God has been fighting for us. But… we KNOW it… even if we can’t see it… and so the psalmist has asked God to help us shout for joy! Not just sit there… not just nod our heads… not even resting in the contentment of knowing He fights for us… nope… shouting.
Shouting is an action word. There’s nothing passive about it. It’s not a one-time occurrence, either. He wants us to keep on shouting… over and over and over… and over again. It’s continuous. There’s no stop.
This…
Fill all who love you with your happiness.
For you bless the godly man, O Lord;
you protect him with your shield of love.
This is why we can’t stop. Must not stop.
When we press forward, choosing a joyful spirit, we become happy and we get blessed.
Always. Always. Always. God has our best interest at heart. His love is overflowing and His blessings never stop… (unless we do something to block the blessing).
Isn’t that just the encouragement we need to stay the course? Keep trusting… keep believing… and sing His praises for all that He is lovingly doing to defend us all day, every day.
Some might say that when we choose joy…we naturally will be happy.
And I might agree.
But, I think there’s a bigger principle going on here.
I think it’s like gravity and all the other laws of nature. When “this” takes place… “this” will happen.
God’s design for us is to be filled with joy when we take joy in what He is doing for us and praise Him for it.
God's design for us is to be filled with joy when we take joy in what He is doing for us and praise Him for it.Click To TweetSo what holds us back? Difficulties, disappointments, relational struggles, illness, etc.
Each of those challenges can become the pathway for a negative attitude if we allow it.
Let’s look to God for our happiness.
He’s always… already at work on our behalf. It’s what He does because He loves us so dearly.
Let’s take joy in it and shout it out… over and over and over again.
It’s JoyDay!
And time to get our joy meters soaring!
Please join me in thinking back over the past week and counting seven things for which you are thankful. This simple exercise of counting and giving thanks in community is something we do each week to reset our compasses and put our eyes back on the Lord.
I’ll start…
Thank you, God for…
- clear skies, low humidity, and sunshine again… perfect early fall weather.
- a visit to the farmers’ market.
- an upcoming appointment and the possibilities ahead.
- my geraniums that look lush and full again.
- hummingbirds still coming for drinks.
- for knowing YOU Lord are fighting for us.
- for future grace… keep us strong as we wait on You.
Now…it’s YOUR turn!
List your ‘seven’ in the ‘share your extraordinary thoughts’ section below. You’ll be glad you did.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving your sweet thoughts.
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Thank you God….
1. for a job I Love!
2. for a Fall Fest outing with a great friend!
3. for true Faithful Friends and Prayer Partners…
4. for your provision…
5. for your endless patience with me…
6. for making me more aware of your presence in all the small details of my daily life as well as the large challenges…
7. for the work that you are doing in my Life…
7.
I rejoice at all God is doing in your life, Debbi. 🙂 He is so good.
Praying your week overflows with His JOY!
Thank you so much. This was 5 just what I needed to get me back on track. THANK YOU and of course Thanks to God.
Yay!! Jayne, I LOVE how God works!! His time is always perfect!
Best wishes for an extraordinary weekend!