Thursday, December 2, 2021
Joy and the Psalms
Gratitude
The Book of Psalms calls us to praise God and during this first week of Advent we will focus on the power of the psalms in a number of ways: to connect us with God as sisters and brothers in Christ, to give us a healing pathway on which to carry our lament to the Spirit, to call us together as we praise and honor the creator God, and to invite us to express our gratitude for God’s abiding love.
Click on the scripture links and explore other versions of these verses. Share an idea about the surprise of joy in the dark places and times in our lives with a loved one, a neighbor or friend. And allow the surprise of joy to brighten each day as we move forward in the season of hope-filled waiting for the arrival of the Christ.
Psalm 70 verse 2: May all who come to you be glad and joyful. May all who are thankful for your salvation always say, “How great is God!”
God replies: I understand how difficult it is for some of you to see beyond yourselves. I also see how much the woes of the world overwhelm others of you.
Psalm 92 verse 4: Your mighty deeds, O Lord, make me glad; because of what you have done, I sing for joy.
God replies: All that I ask is that you allow me to surprise you with joy, and to pull you out of your sorrow and despair.
Psalm 95 verse 2: Let us come before him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise.
God replies: Remember to invite those around you to share their own stories of joy-filled fidelity.
Psalm 107 verse 22: They must thank God with songs of joy and must tell all that God has done.
God replies: Come together as community to share the news of my hope and love. Always be ready to see, feel, and share my joy.
If this week’s exploration of Psalms calls you to search for more surprises, click on the word Joy in the categories cloud in the blog’s right hand sidebar and choose a reflection, or enter the word Joy in the blog search bar. You may also want to visit the Joy for the Journey blog at www.joyforthee.blogspot.com to see how joy surprises you there.
Tomorrow, we rejoice in God’s gift of conversion.
Image from: http://godzdogz.op.org/2011/12/third-sunday-of-advent-rejoice.html
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