THE JOY OF THE LORD
I wonder if any of my readers remember the old children’s chorus
It’s bubbling, it’s bubbling, it’s bubbling in my soul.
There’s singing and laughing, since Jesus made me whole.
Folks can’s understand it, how can I keep it quiet?
It’s bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, day and night.
I have been aware for a few days of a quiet sweet bubbling of joy in my spirit. There were no external reasons why this should be, I am sure God’s plan is that Believers should be aware in some way all the time, of the deep abiding joy of the Lord, not that it is always manifesting itself, but just that quiet mmm…. in our spirit.
So I began to look at the Scriptures to see afresh what the Word said about the God’s joy in the heart of the Believer.
We are all aware of Nehemiah”s profound statement “The JOY of the Lord is our strength” Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV. That in the midst of the turmoil of life, which SUREsure does not produce happiness, we are strengthened by the awareness of this joy from above.
King David often speaks of joy, and I love his statement In your presence is fullness of JOY; at your right hand are pleasures for evermore” Psalm 16:11 NKJV. When we spend time in God’s presence, and clear the decks of any unconfessed sins, have reaffirmed His lordship over our lives and spent time in Thanksgiving and Praise and Worship, the Joy of the Lord will bubble up and we will want to do what is recorded in the Word many times, WE WILL WANT TO SHOUT FOR JOY. Not like we do when our sporting team is winning, but for the sheer pleasure of God’s joy bubbling in our heart.
Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of confession as he repented of his sins relating to Bathsheba, David had lost the joy because of his disobedience, and asks God to “Restore to me the joy of my Salvation” Psalm 51:12 NKJV and joy always flows after confession and reconciliation to the Lord. Hallelujah.
The Bible tells us that, that because God’s joy is abiding in us, we can proactively seek to let the joy of the Lord flow in and out of us, Isaiah tells us “Therefore with JOY you will draw water from the wells of Salvation Isaiah 12:3 NKJVB
In the New Testament we are reminded that “The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit” Romans 14:17 NKJV. The Christian life is not about natural pleasures, but walking in the imputed righteousness of God, and experiencing the awesome peace of God filling our lives, which again releases the joy of the Lord in us.
The Apostle Peter expresses it this way, that as a result of being born again and the Lord Jesus Christ coming into our life “Of whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see Him, yet believing you rejoice with JOY inexpressible and full of glory”. 1 peter 1:8 NKJV Just knowing we have been reconciled to God, and have total access into His presence, and being recipients of a glorious inheritance through the death and resurrection of Jesus there comes such joy, words cannot express or describe this joy, as I mentioned recently as the Scotchman said, IT IS BETTER FELT THAN TELT.
The Apostle Paul tells that joy is a part of the ninefold FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. “But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, JOY, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control” Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV. As it is a fruit it is meant to grow (in balance) with all the other segments of the fruit of the Spirit, so we need to daily feed it, and LET IT FLOW IN OUR LIVES.
I THANK GOD TODAY AFRESH FOR HIS ABIDING JOY DO YOU?
