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Joy in the Midst!
I love this week we are coming up on, people are singing in churches, or in groups, programs etc. You hear more laughter than usual and encouragement is out there for most to see.
There are some who do not choose to Shout for Joy to the Lord, but the Word of God tells us to!
Some who choose to but feel they are not able to, yet.
There are some who are alone and cannot gather, but they can gather in the Spirit with other believers. We are so blessed these days with the internet because we an view online church and worship services, we can find bible studies and more! There is so much to be joyful about.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:1-3
I have found the more I worship the Lord the better I feel.
There was a time when my parents both passed in one year, when my mother passed my husband asked me if I was okay. I told him I would not be okay for a very long time, for though I was an adult I had become an orphan. Nothing would be the same again, yet God showed me how attending a Woman's Retreat would not only heal me as I served along side the other women on the team but I would at that retreat make peace with God for 'taking my parents from me' and realize a new gift He had given me. I learned to intercede in prayer, to worship the Lord in a new depth as I prayed. Through all of that I learned and knew in my heart that my parents would have wanted me there serving others. I found such joy and peace at that retreat!
I cannot begin to explain here what I learned but just know that God spoke to my heart and mind and pulled me up out of the pit I was sitting in and gave me a reason to rejoice. Sometimes it takes a rough patch, or a broken heart to find the sweetness of the Holy Spirit mending us.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:9-10
Remember, Sorrow may last for a night but the joy comes in the morning!
Celebrate this week! If you can visit with others while you celebrate do so! If you are stuck alone, message me in the comments and let me know how you are doing! Take time to watch a worship service, or candle light service. Gather if you can, but if you are not able then join in worship with the Lord and His angels!
Lift up your voice and sing! They will be there too!
Heavenly Father, pull out the songs in our hearts today and give us words of rejoicing to sing in worship to You and Your name! Bless us and we overcome our sorrows and trust You to heal our pains. In Jesus' name...