Joy-stealers

Psalm 9

There are joy-stealers in life.
People who suck the life right out of you by their negativity, by lies, by selfish rudeness.
People have the power to do that to you.
Incredible, isn't it?
And yes, we can say they only have that power if we allow them to wield it.
While that is true, it also sets us up for a struggle.

Because people affect people.

People hurt you and you feel it.
People let you down and you experience the disappointment.
People rub you the wrong way and it chafes like sandpaper on your skin.

Hurt can often steal joy.
You feel so battered down that there doesn't seem to be room left for joyfulness.
You fall to your knees, weak, bruised and broken.

But what better place is there for joy to break through and make an entrance?
Into a broken heart.
Into a bitter soul.
Into an crushed and angry spirit.
When joy seems unreachable or unwanted.

But it's there all the time.
Available to us every day, in every situation.
There is joy in a smile.
There is joy in a handshake.
There is joy in the stars of the night sky.
There is joy whispering through a summer breeze.
There is joy in the colours and scents of spring flowers.
There is joy in the beauty of the winter snows.
There is joy in a loved one.
There is joy in God.
There is joy in salvation.
There is joy in thanks.

Psalm 9 verse 1-2 says ...

"I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High." (NLT)

The marvelous things He has done includes the list of joy-filled things above.
And so many more.
From the seemingly small things like a smile, to the huge things like our salvation in Christ, it's all marvelous.
And worthy of our thanks.
We can even be thankful for those people ~ the joy-stealers ~ because in the end they can point us to God.
We can depend on His ability to place joy in our hearts despite the joy-stealers.
But we can also leave it with Him to place the joy in them too.

Because those who steal are only after something they don't have.

Even the joy-stealers need joy.

Lesson in the journey ... A thankful heart is a joy-filled heart.

Joy for all

Joy to the World!

~Isaac Watts~
(song written in 1719)

1. Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King,
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

2. Joy to the earth! The Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground:
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

4. He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love.

A Christmas gem, Joy to the World, has been sung for hundreds of years in churches, homes, on the radio, in the malls ~ in various styles of music from various styles of musical artists. It is a common Christmas tune.
But it is a treasure chest full of hope, promise, and passion.
And yes, joy.

For not only did the Saviour of this world come as a human baby, but this same Saviour, Jesus Christ, will come again.

There is a promise of deliverance from sin and sorrow. A promise of His love.

Every heart needs to prepare for His love, sing His praises, receive His blessings, wonder in His love, and every heart will one day acknowledge His Lordship.

If only every single one of us would take joy in Him!

For it is there for the taking. He offers it.

Joy to the World!

There is something to rejoice about!

And there always will be.

A joyful port

Psalm 5

I live in a port town. Its harbour safely docks boats and provides travellers and adventurers from stormy waters. It allows for rest and shelter.
A few years ago, we had summer weather which was great breeding ground for tornadoes. At that same time, there were a couple of tall ships, sailing past our small town along their journey.
The ships were forced to enter into the shelter of our harbour and wait out the storm. Many in the community welcomed the crew of both ships with open arms, and curious people made their way to the harbour to view the ships.
The sailors were quite happy for the safety and the shelter offered by our little harbour. Where the wild winds and crashing waves would not harm them.

Psalm 5 verse 11 talks about such refuge.

"But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Protect them, so all who love Your Name may be filled with joy." (NLT)

I love how many times joy is mentioned in Psalm 5:11 :

~ we are encouraged to rejoice
~ we are encouraged to sing joyful praises
~ we are told we can be filled with joy

We all can find true refuge ~ that protection, sheltering, loving embrace ~ in God alone.
"God is my refuge and strength ..." (Ps. 46:1, NLT)

Lesson in the journey ... rejoice, sing joyful praises, be filled with joy.

A harvest of God-joy

Psalm 4

I have some friends who are farmers. I know of their struggles when the sun shines too much and the rains don't come. When parched ground sucks the life out of their crop and they don't get enough to meet the demands.
Or when it rains too much and the crops don't dry out enough for them to cut and sell at the proper time.
When those seasons happen where the harvest is disappointing and damaging, I know of their frustration and concern.
But when the conditions are right and there is a healthy, abundant harvest, we can rejoice at their success and their happiness.
A good harvest is a blessing.
A happy time.
A joy to be had.

David composed Psalm 4 and in verse 7 he proclaims the joy from a good harvest.
Yet, more.

"You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine." (NLT)

When an abundant harvest is your livelihood, there is much joy.
And David acknowledges that God gives even greater joy than that of a great harvest.

A harvest of God-joy is of great worth.

The verse right before this one says ~

"Let the smile of Your face shine on us, Lord." (NLT)

Wow! I love that.
The smile on God's face leading right into the verse about Him giving greater joy.

God-smiles and God-joy.
Hand in hand.
Bring on the harvest!

Lesson in the journey ... Smiles of God lead to greater joy.

What joy!

Psalm 2

It begins with nations raging, kings preparing for battle, rulers plotting.
But things don't bode well for these guys.
God has something to say about these plans. It's not a good word, and by the end of Psalm 2, God has delivered a warning to the kings and rulers.
Act wisely.
Serve the Lord with reverent fear.
Rejoice with trembling.
Submit to God's royal son.

Or ... destruction.

Then, the beautiful word.
Right at the end of the psalm.

"But what joy for all who find protection in Him!" (vs.12, NLT)

And an exclamation point seals the meaning of that statement in quite well.
BOOM! There it is.
What joy there is for those who find refuge in Him; who put their trust in Him.
I know that I for sure want to be on the side of those who find shelter in the Most High.
And that reminds me of another gem of a verse in an upcoming Psalm ...

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
(Ps. 91:1, NLT)

Lesson in the journey ... Choose to live in Him. Choose to live within His protection.

Trees can rejoice too!

"You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!" (Is.55:12, NLT)         

The Great Pursuit

I'm on a pursuit of joy, so I thought that I would begin my search in the place of its origin.
God Himself.
So, beginning in the book of Psalms ~ written predominantly by a man who was often pursued by others, but who was also after God's own heart  ~ I will read and swallow the words of joy that I find.

Psalm 1

^"1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
² But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do." (NLT)

I love that first line ~ "Oh, the joys ...". To me, it screams exclamation points! Oh, the joys!
And why? What joyfulness is proclaimed right away in the first line of the first psalm?

Oh, the joys of those who take delight in the Lord.
Ahhhh ... sweetness.

For in the Lord there is no wickedness, no sin, no mocking, no darkness.

In the Lord there is life ~ like a tree planted by a river, a source that feeds and nourishes the tree to good health and prosperous living.

Oh, the joys ~ oh, the life.

Lesson in the journey ... delight in the Lord, in His Word.