Rejoice in Him
“Rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”
What is your strength? What do you rely on for strength? Coffee? Chocolate? An episode of Friends or a favorite movie? A run? Or a person?
Who do you lean on for strength?
My mom still hears about almost everything, and I bug my brother when I need to rant about politics or want to talk about Star Wars. When I need a handyman or sound advice on work, I reach out to my dad; and I lean on my sisters when I need to remember my silliness and my joy. My friends are my spiritual support and prayer warriors. I borrow my friends’ kids for snuggles, and I call my Grandma when I need to hear that I am good enough as I am.
And as wonderful as all these people are, they don’t come close to Jesus. There’s no contest.
Jesus has to be the first one.
No matter what I’m going through, I have to go to Him FIRST. I forget that. Often. I rely on my own strength. I try to sort out my circumstances on my own. I try to be self-sufficient and “manage myself.” I try to figure out who or what I need instead of simply turning to Him and letting Him have it all.
Instead of allowing God’s goodness to permeate all that I am and every situation I encounter, I try to be the fixer. And sisters, it never works. My brilliant ideas about how to fix broken things might dull my emotions; they might make me “feel better,” but they never fix it.
My Father is the best fixer.
He’s the only one who has the power to change things. Only in Him does my heaviness lift and my burden break. It’s only when I let Him be the best. It’s only when I proclaim His goodness and His victory that my perspective dramatically shifts.
And it’s only by rejoicing in the Lord that things really start to move. When I rejoice in the Lord, when I put Him back on His throne, I am re-introduced to my myself. Even if I’m broken and sad and disappointed and done - that’s actually when I need to rejoice the most. We don’t rejoice because we feel like it, we rejoice because praise reminds us of the truth.
When I surrender to belief,
My Praise Carries Power.
There is power in praise. Rejoicing in Him reminds us of who we are. When we remember who He is, we are reminded of who we are in Him. Praising God puts things back into perspective, and reminds us of the truth. When we praise Him who is love, we can’t help but receive that. Even the dogs get the scraps... (Matt 15:27)
No matter what you’re going through, put Him back on the throne. No matter what’s going on, it’s always a good time to give Him glory for His goodness and His love - even if you’re feeling broken or angry or little. We need rejoicing. We need to rejoice to matter what. Because we need the gift of praise - remember who we are, to remember who He is, and to remember all that He’s capable of.
It’s time.
It’s time to stand and proclaim confidence in the goodness of God. It’s time to let His goodness sustain you. Let your praise remind you of the truth. It’s time to remember that you are covered by love.
Father,
Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your goodness. Help us to remember Your power and care and provision - especially when everything seems to be going wrong.
Father, we trust You. You have a good heart - the best heart. Remind us when it’s hard to remember.
God, we love You. We’re so grateful for Your tender care for us. You are the best. Teach us how to rejoice in You always.