Joy! The Wonder of our Strength.

Gentle Rain

Be Joyful!  Dance or Skip!

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Is. 55:11-12 KJV

Though trials come up, not one has my permission to steal my faith or rob my joy. Joy bubbles up from deep inside of you where the Holy Spirit lives. When I meditate upon God’s unmatchable love and how there is not one single thing on earth, or in the heavens that can separate us from His supernatural love; His gift of joy starts to bubble up again.

Can someone have joy and be unthankful? I do not think so because thankfulness produces joy. Every time we think of how blessed we are, we increase a heart full of thankfulness for God’s presence in our life. Instead of a mere walk, we begin to skip and then dance with the joy of the Lord. A true heart pregnant with thankfulness is going to give birth to joy!

If we are pregnant with un-thankfulness we will give birth to pity, remorse and sometimes those lead to anger. Triplets!

There is a difference between being happy and having joy. We are happy when we are with those whom we love; we get all warm and fuzzy inside. We get happy over a raise, losing that pound, receiving that gift and how can we resist our pets when they are so happy to see us? Joy is completely different because when you have The Joy of the Lord it is your strength. You develop spiritual muscles and learn how to fight the enemy invisibly. His Joy enables you to resist the tempter. God’s word is declared from your mouth as you pray and like the first verse above says “it shall not return unto me void, but will accomplish that which I please.” The word goes out and it comes back bearing much fruit.

We shout!  We are forgiven!! From all those rebel rousing days of carelessness. Those days that produced anguish, hurts and pain. Gone!

Just as sure as the Tennessee River faithfully flows into the mighty Mississippi, does God’s love pour over those who invite Him into their lives.

We used to sing the second verse, literally full of joy! Every time I sang that verse I could picture God’s people singing as they went out to give the truth to listening hearts. They are led by peace! The mountains and hills sing and the trees clap their hands. Does it sound too far-fetched for you? If we have a God who created the Sun, moon and stars and everything inside of them and who created man and beasts and all the creepy crawling things, with all the plumbing needed; what is so far-fetched about the mountains and hills breaking out In song? When a breeze flows among the leaves in the trees, do they not clap their hands?

Surely, all will someday say; “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.”