Joy, September 13, 2008

Joy, September 13, 2008

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness...
...I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
...Enter into the joy of your lord.'

Isaiah 61:10, Habakkuk 3:18, Matthew 25:21

Father, before Jesus was born, Isaiah told us that He clothes us in garments of salvation and that He has covered us with the robe of righteousness. For this fundamental teaching we are grateful. We were yet in our sin when this occurred. We rejoice in our Lord.
When we enter into the joy of the Lord, we do so twice, once now and once again for eternity, in heaven. You teach us to have joy now, even in turmoil, not because we enjoy trouble, but because it is temporary and our joy in Your grace prevails before, during and after difficulty.

Help us this day to stand in Your light even when it is dark and to have a sense of joy about Your presence, even when the joy of salvation is not widely celebrated by the world. We trust in You, our sovereign Father. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell