“Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, THEY SHOUTED FOR JOY AND FELL FACE-DOWN.” (Lev. 9:24) [Moses and Aaron went in to pray for the appearance of our Abba Father’s divine glory; when they came out, they both joined in blessing the people, who were standing in expectation of promised appearance of God’s divine glory; and it now they had what they waited for. Note, God’s manifestations of himself, of his glory and grace, are commonly given in answer to prayer. When Christ was praying the heavens were opened, Luk_3:21! When the people saw God’s glory they shouted for “RANAN:” joy, cries of joy, joyfully sing, shout for joy!] “For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; STRENGTH AND JOY ARE IN HIS DWELLING PLACE.” (1 Chron. 16:25-27) [This is a thanksgiving psalm which David, by the Spirit, composed, and delivered to the chief musician, to be sung upon the occasion of the public entry the ark, which of course was the very presence of God at that time, as it was placed in the tent prepared for it. Some think David appointed this hymn to be daily used in the temple service, as surly as the day came; they would sing this praise! Why is it so important to acknowledge “THE JOY OF THE LORD?”] “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. MY HEART LEAPS FOR JOY, AND WITH MY SONG I PRAISE HIM.” (Psa. 28:7) [This is how we achieve peace: we must begin with praise that is equitable. Let us FIRST BLESS GOD and then bless ourselves. Observe, 1. Our dependence upon God: “The Lord is my strength, to support me, and carry me on, through all my services and sufferings. He is my shield, to protect me from all the cruel plans of my enemies against me. I have CHOSEN to trust Him, I have always found Him faithful, and I expect He will always will be.” 2. Let us experience the benefits of that dependence: “My heart trusted in him, and in his power and promise; and it will never be in vain to do so, for we are helped, we have been often helped; God has given to us, in his due time, the help we trusted to him for, our trusting in him will always help us!] “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, YOU BELIEVE IN HIM AND ARE FILLED WITH AN INEXPRESSIBLE AND GLORIOUS JOY, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9) [We should shout “RANAN” for the Joy of The Lord is indeed our strength!]
Be blessed as you praise The Lord, knowing that:
THOUGH WE HAVE NOT SEEN HIM, WE LOVE HIM; AND EVEN THOUGH WE DO NOT SEE HIM NOW, WE BELIEVE IN HIM AND ARE FILLED WITH AN INEXPRESSIBLE AND GLORIOUS JOY!
Blessings, Bill Stockham