Scripture:
Psalm 97:11–12
11 Light dawns for the righteous
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name! (NRSVUE)
Observation:
The promises of God are beautiful. In the midst of our darkest hour, we have a reminder of the dawn. Every day there is a dawn, and the light shines brightly. Those who are righteous will experience this dawn, and for those who are upright in heart, following God, there will be joy.
Why not end that section with a word of thanksgiving? We, as God’s people, who are endeavoring to live lives of righteousness, are to rejoice in the Lord. Not only do we rejoice, but we “give thanks to his holy name.”
Application:
I’m challenged by the psalmist. So often the people of God, or the psalmist himself, have been through troubling days. But over and over again, we are reminded of God’s goodness. We are not left alone in our dark hours, and aren’t we grateful for that? Even when we feel like we can’t go on, and we don’t even know how to pray, God’s light can dawn in the midst of our darkness as we continue to live in Him and His righteousness.
God doesn’t say that we won’t go through difficult days. The reality is that we will all face challenges in life. There are days when it feels like our feet are stuck in cement, and it’s hard to take one step after another. And yet, there is light, and there is joy. I’ve learned something about joy over the years. It’s not the same as happiness. It’s something much deeper, and even when we may not say that we are happy, there can be deep joy down in our souls. God is saying that for those who follow Him, even with our cement boots on, there can be joy. I want to embrace that!
Then, we are encouraged to rejoice. I’ll be honest, this can be hard for me sometimes, but the psalmist provides us with such a great example. He sings and praises the Lord and rejoices.
I tend to look at my phone when I get up in the morning. I can get pretty distracted by emails and the news, but I’ve learned that something wonderful happens when I turn that off and turn on praise and worship music. That music helps me to rejoice in the Lord. It helps me to change the focus of my thoughts and the direction of my day. When we participate in praise and worship, even when we may not feel like it, things begin to change in us.
We are invited into this beautiful relationship with God, where we learn to give thanks and He gives us joy. Deep down in our hearts, our perspective changes when we become a people of thanksgiving. We praise His holy name!
Prayer:
Lord, today I thank You and praise You! Thank You for walking with me through dark days and allowing me to see the sunrise. Even when the night seems long, Your light is still our hope. Thank You for joy, and help me to be a person who rejoices in You. Amen.
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