Vol. 8-50 – 12-10-2023 – Advent—A Season of Joy
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh,
My adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;
Though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.
For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;
He will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord. –Psalm 27:1-6
In the midst of the fury and battle, God encourages us to keep our eyes on Him. He battles for us. We are His. What earthly father, with any love in their heart would ignore and devalue their own son or daughter?
Emmanuel is near. We sense Him. The enemy throws accusations; assaults our thoughts. People of the world try to cut us down; drag us through the mud. Launch schemes to denigrate us. Roar into our space all kinds of temptations. We might scream for revenge—we ought not. For vengeance belongs to the Lord.
Our hope is vested in the One who is our strong tower, the watcher of our souls. We are safe in God; He has the greatest power for us, in just His name. It is the way of our God.
When God led His people out from bondage in Egypt, they came to what they thought was a dead end—the edge of the Red Sea. The people were bewildered. They reacted; spit words intended for God to hear: Why could we not die in Egypt? Why did You have to bring us into the wilderness for us to meet our end?
God demonstrates His power. The wilderness (actually, a desert place) and the sea just provided God opportunities to show this great power to His people.
Have you ever felt corralled, up against what seemed insurmountable? Know that God does not even blink at the roadblocks, evil throws in your direction. In a brief gesture, He walls up the water of the Red Sea and invites His people to walk to the other side on dry land. He can part your Red Sea at any time.
God has already torn down the biggest obstacle we will ever face, our sin that separated us from His holy embrace, His joy.
We spin our wheels attempting to be happy. We think that is what life should be—happy. Yet that is not so. Happiness is related to events. Happiness lasts in a variety of periods, some short, some a little longer. Yet it is always over; done. Joy, however, is reflective of the character of God. Because God is eternal, His joy is eternal. And such will His joy always be.
Advent is a season of joy. The King of kings would come. There is no greater joy. We cannot help but sing!
Your name, O Lord, endures forever, Your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages (Psalm 135:13). God has no equal. He is before all things and He is the last, eternal. Our world is full of “little g” gods. There is none like Him. Our God made the heavens and the earth. Created all life. It was His joy to do so. It is our joy to choose Him. As those who have waited for God to fulfill His promise to send the Messiah; they were expectant, ready to praise. We can praise Him for we know He has provided joy in His Son, Jesus, the Christ, the Lord of lords, the King of kings.
Let your soul ring out in joy. Exalt Him, give Him praise, for He does a thing that no one else can do, and He does it with great joy.
Your song in the Season of Joy will lift your thoughts to the very highest place in the heart of God.
