Joy, Praise and Thanksgiving
Psalm 16:11 declares that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore. The presence of God is a joyful place to be - joy in all its fullness, abundance of joy, total celebration, absolute and complete gladness, joy which is indescribable, unspeakable, ineffable and full of glory!
When He was on earth, Jesus was a joyful person to be around. Psalm 45:7 talks about being anointed with the oil of gladness more than anyone else, and Hebrews 1:8-9 tells us that this refers to Jesus. Jesus was full of joy. In Luke 10:21, we read that, after His disciples had returned from a successful mission of healing the sick and casting out demons, Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 12:2 says that it was because of the joy that awaited Him that Jesus endured the suffering of the cross.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), so every believer should be full of joy. Paul emphasises how joyful we should be when he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Do you remember this old Sunday School song?
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart,
Down in my heart,
Down in my heart;
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart:
Glory to His name.
I’ve got that Nicodemus new-born feeling
Down in my heart…
I’ve got the ‘Devil doesn’t like it’ feeling
Down in my heart…
Believers are sometimes described as having a ‘deep’ joy because the joy of the Lord remains with us regardless of our circumstances. However, our joy shouldn’t be so deep that it never shows on our faces. The joy of the Lord is an overflowing joy which spills over to change the atmosphere around us.
Joy should also be evident in our praise and thanksgiving. Psalm 100:1 exhorts us to make a joyful noise unto the LORD. Psalm 98:4 says, Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth; make a loud noise and rejoice, sing praise! Colossians 1:12 instructs us to give joyful thanks to the Father, who has made us fit to share in everything that He has prepared for us.
These three themes - joy, praise and thanksgiving - come together in Nehemiah 12:27 when God’s people came to celebrate and dedicate the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. We read that the people celebrated joyfully with hymns of thanksgiving and songs of praise, accompanied by musical instruments.
I hope that these five days of prayer and fasting have brought us to a new level of faith, commitment and diligence. Let’s continue to give joyful praise and thanks to God for all that He has done and continues to do among us.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for the fullness of joy that we experience when we come into Your presence. You are the supreme joy-giver. Only in You do we experience pure joy and gladness as You fill us with the life of Your Spirit. We give You all of our thanks and praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
