Saturday, December 4, 2021
Joy and the Psalms
Blessing
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 offer us more examples of how God’s joy is a precious blessing.
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 119 verse 111: Your testimonies are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
God replies: You are the apple of my eye; the delight of my heart!
Psalm 132 verse 16: Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest.
God replies: I have plans for your future, plans for joy and not for woe.
Psalm 137 verse 6: May I never be able to sing again if I do not remember you, if I do not think of you as my greatest joy!
God replies: You are my creation, my own sweet child.
Psalm 139 verse 5: Let God’s people rejoice in their triumph and sing joyfully all night long.
God replies: I lament with your sorrow and I delight in your happiness.
Together we pray . . . Good and ever-present God, you are with us even when we find ourselves in a world of deceit; we must remember to have open ears. Good and holy God, you are present even in the deepest darkness; we must remember to have open eyes. Good and loving God, you are with us in the presence of every kind of abuse and even in death . . . and so we must remember to have open hearts. Hold us always in you. Amen.
Tomorrow, the Second Sunday of Advent.
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.
For more information about anxiety and joy, visit: http://riselikeair.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/anxiety-joy-a-journey/
Image from: http://joycarol.com/blog/?p=543
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