By transgression an evil man is snared,
But the righteous sings and rejoices.
(Proverbs 29:6)
LORD Jesus, we praise You, for You alone are able to give us songs in the midst of our adversity. Forgive us, O God, we pray, whenever we turn away from Your Word. Help us to seek Your Will. Remind us that You are, and always will be, in control and above all situations. Guide us to put our trust in You, and let us be joyful in You. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen.
Rejoice in Your Maker
Psalm 149:3 instructs us to praise God’s name with the dance and to sing praises unto Him with the timbrel and harp. Then, however, there are times when we are distracted from singing praises to God. Hardships challenge our faith. They draw our focus away from the LORD, and, by the grace of God, we have to readjust our view and renew our mind again.
It’s true that nobody feels like singing while going through a hard time. What about times of less comfort than what we are used to, though? How do we handle them? Will we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and rejoice in our Maker? Will we continue to praise Him while going through a lean period in life when less of our wants are met?
Rejoice Your Father
Proverbs 29:3a tells us that
Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice
Imagine that, it makes the Father rejoice when we love wisdom. We need to seek the LORD in His Word, to know wisdom and instruction, and to find out why singing and praising God is such a vital part of our Christian faith.
The righteous sings and rejoices.
(Proverbs 29:6b)
Where do we seek and find joy? What or who will give us reason to rejoice? Serious questions we need to ask ourselves.
Rejoice in Christ Jesus
Yes, times can be difficult. Of course, we feel quite uncomfortable whenever our “essentials” are not covered. The absence of comfort, however, or even the presence of a hardship are no reasons, though, not to rejoice in the LORD.
Listen to the words found in Habakkuk
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
(Habakkuk 3:17-19)
Rejoicing in the LORD, even in the midst of troubled times, is done by our “will,” not by our feelings. I will write more on that in my next blog post, so please, stay tuned.
Love the Word and rejoice in your Father today.