In the stillness of the early morning, I opened the Word.
Thirsty. Hungry. Needy.
And I came upon this:
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving.
and extol him with music and song. Psalm 95:1-2
We sit in the quiet. We wait on the Lord.
We are such people of doing.
Yet….here David…the psalmist….gives us something to do.
Sing for joy.
Shout out loud.
Thank HIM.
Play music and sing for HIM.
Okay…it’s really early. It’s really quiet.
I may not be able to do the out loud part.
Or, even play (my out of tune piano I haven’t touched since we moved).
But, I can read more Psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95:3-5
I change the wording slightly and read it back to God.
“God, you are great…you are above all. Above our governments, above all the people and things that we think are important, you are greater than any of these. You hold this beautiful world in the palm of your hand. You know how deep the greatest canyon is and how tall the tallest mountain, because you formed each of them, they are part of your magnificent creation. You made the oceans, and lakes, and rivers, and streams. You shaped the flat lands, the deserts, the valleys, the rolling hills, and the mountains. I am in awe of this beauty and what you have done. You are truly great, Lord.”
This is a beautiful exercise.
When the news tells us about our government gone awry.
When we are certain that this interview is leading to a job and then the e-mail contains words we didn’t expect.
When the checking account runs dry.
I remember who God is. He is the one I can always count on. He is our rock. There is no one like him.
Come, let us bow down in worship.
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker,
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7
I am reminded that I am HIS.
I am reminded that I’m not left to flail around in the vastness of this world fending for myself, alone.
I am reminded that I am under HIS care. (You, too.)
Perspective.
I truly need to start my day with HIS perspective.
It sets my perspective.
Does any of this change my circumstance?
No.
When I start my day and get these things straight…
knowing who God is and who I am not….
I get perspective.
Peace.
Hope.
Joy.
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
I’m not singing out of joy.
In my singing, I receive joy.
We sing truth to HIM.
We praise HIM.
We acknowledge HIS greatness and all HIS attributes.
And when we do HE returns something priceless to us.
JOY!
Just like the cool, sweet, early morning mountain air that drifts in the window by my chair….
He refreshes me.
He restores my soul.
Ahhhhh…..
I breathe it in. Deeply.
The thirst, the hunger, the neediness, it dissipates.
And I am renewed for another day.
Pure JOY!
What a wonderful God.
- Have you tried this exercise?
- What is the one thing that would be different if you took the time to do it?
- If you have….what difference did it make?
It’s Joy Day!
The day we take a few moments to remember our week and give thanks in all things.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
Will you join me in counting just ‘seven’ things to offer in gratitude?
I’ll start…
Thank you God for
- a time of worship, led by worshipers and not performers.
- the refreshment that comes from your Word.
- the knowledge that you are caring for us even when we get a negative e-mail.
- the phone call from a dear friend and the long chat.
- answering our prayers for others.
- beautiful blooming Japanese Iris.
- the hope you give us for employment.
Okay….it’s your turn. Consider the past week and count ‘seven’ and share them below in the “Share your thoughts” section. I dare you!! Count your gifts, give thanks, and get JOY! Your joy meter will rise. You just might not want to stop. [wink] You just might want to take the Joy Dare here.
Thank you so much for joining me here today. I enjoy your lovely and thoughtful words and read and reply to each one. If this post has touched or encouraged you in any way, would you share it with your friends with any of the sharing buttons at the bottom or side? And if you are a new reader, this is a weekly series that arrives in your mailbox every Sunday should you subscribe. Here are a few recent posts: Feeling Hard Pressed? ~ How to Receive God’s Blessing. ~ My Word for the Year. You can find more “Joy Day!” posts under the Joy and Inspiration category here.
Sing for joy….
Diane
P.S. Join me here again at 7 p.m. EDT (Sunday) for Monday Funday. It’s my final day to guest host this amazing link party filled with fabulous inspiration…DIY’s, recipes, home decor, and much more. Tonight, I will be sharing my choice of features from the week. See you again then!!
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I‘m thankful for:
My childrens‘ laughter
My hard working, loving husband
My caring friends I can always count on to lift me up
The flowers in my garden
Seeing Jesus in the eyes of a stranger
A church that cares
His word
Thank you Diane, I needed this today. I just didn‘t know it until I read your beautiful words. What a blessing.
Isn’t that just the way God works, Laurie!
Thanks for sharing your ‘seven.’
May your new week overflow with HIS joy! [hugs]
Truthfully, I battled some frustration and disappointment for you and yours as I read. And there was that ‘how can they not be downhearted’ in the circumstances….but you told me that answer. You share that again and again and even if you have moments, you don’t let it consume you…instead you ll your cup with love love and praise and an abundance of joy.
I know how you do it, I watch you do it again and again…and I’m amazed. And humbled.
There’s a smallness and a hugeness that happens at tthe same time for me every time I ‘read’ you. As it should be. As I have come to know it needs to be for me.
Glorious Joy…
* in knowing how well G-d takes care of His kiddos
* in the first blossoms of the buddleia bushes
* in the compassion that is extended to me over and over again
* in the turbulent storms that have created amazing sunrises and sunsets
* in the simple, little kind acts that I can do…they warm my heart
* in the current limitations that force me to do things differently
* in the amazing people that I cross paths with.
Mel…you touched my heart tonight. You know some of those moments are so very hard…I know you know. Expectations…dashed….yet…I am convinced that we must not live there. The enemy wins when I allow myself to wallow there. So…there is but one choice. Praise and thankfulness. I hope I don’t seem like a broken record to readers. But, it’s so real and so necessary and it’s where I live. And I am humbled that HE has used this to encourage you. And I love reading your ‘seven.’
Joy! May it wash over you…overwhelm you…lift you up…fill you full of HIM. [hugs]
Don’t forget to link to Joy Dare on my website. Singing for Joy today.
Blessings,
Janis http://www.janiscox.com
Thanks Janis!
May your day overflow with HIS joy!
Beautiful thoughts today and always! Today, I am thankful for:
1. Sabbath Rest (although I am a little late)
2. Refreshing church conference.
3. Steady work for my husband.
4. My book is started!
5. Helpful friends.
Blessings!
Barbie
And I will rejoice with you at your husband having steady work. Praise God!
Thanks for taking the time to share your bits of gratitude here, Barbie!
May your joy cup overflow!!
I’m thankful for
1. Disappointing news that delays a long awaited joy but still knowing His timing is perfect
2. Wonderful news that a birth mother has chosen friends for her baby
3. lots of opportunity to practice hospitality this week
4. sweet family
5. friends that travel quietly down roads with you
6. Sunday mornings
7. coffee 🙂
Thank you for taking time to come by and share your ‘seven’ Marty. We do have so much for which to be grateful. God is good…all the time.
May your week be filled with JOY moments. [hugs]
Thank you for this post! It has encouraged me today as I was looking up “sing for joy”! Holy Spirit showed me while I was reading my Bible this morning!
I am thankful for
1. The beauty of Gods creation after driving through Texas.
2. The family I have that sticks by me and shows me grace.
3. The way God hears my heart and prayers and shows me so quickly in a simple way that He hears!
4. That I can come to Him and trust Him even when I don’t feel like anyone else can understand me.
5. The beautiful fall trees and weather that I enjoy so much!
6. My amazing husband who tries his best for us and for me.
7. For the future that I know God has for me and that I don’t have to worry about!
Feeling so much better reflecting on His blessings and being grateful! Thanks again.
Thanks for taking the time to say, Hi!, B! I’m honored that you stopped by and that God encouraged your heart here.
I love your heart of gratitude and I agree… reflecting on HIS blessings really make our hearts sing for JOY to the Lord!
May your days be overflow with God’s goodness and JOY!
I’m so thankful to God this morning. I prayed for Him to give me a word for today, and He gave me Psalm 95.
As I was meditating, l came through this beautiful explanation from you. I believe God sent you to bless me in answer to my prayer!