Prayer: Father, I come to worship You this morning! I bow my head and kneel my heart to You, the Supreme Sovereign of the universe. You are my God and I am a sheep in Your pasture. Amen.
Reading: Psalms 95 key: vs. 6-8a
6 Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before Adonai our Maker.
7 For He is our God,
and we are the people of His pasture,
the flock of His hand.
Today, if you hear His voice:
8 “Do not harden your heart
Attention: Do you know what joy is like? Have you experienced real joy? The Psalmist says, “let us sing for joy to Adonai. Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.”
There used to be a chorus which I sang as a youth which the lyrics went,
“If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart.”
The Psalmist is expressing the joy of salvation. Joy is the outpouring of a heart which has been transformed because of the salvation found in God through.
Our hearts were once like the Hebrew nation in the wilderness. They had just witnessed the extraction by God’s hand, bringing them out of slavery. Yet, they chose to “test” God and harden their hearts. If your heart is hardened from the battering and abuse by this world, it is time to allow the Holy Spirit to give you a new heart which brings real joy!
The invitation is extended to everyone who would hear and respond, “Come, let us sing for joy to Adonai, …the God of our salvation.” You can only experience the joy the psalmist is speaking of when you have experienced His salvation. I wish you joy today, which is joy unspeakable and full of glory!
Action: I will sing for joy today to the Lord of my salvation.
Yield: Joy comes from the abundance of the heart.
Engage: Joy comes from the salvation of God.
Relationship: The Shepherd and sheep relationship is experienced in a submitted, yielded heart.
Prayer: Father, I have joy and peace which flows from the salvation You, only You can provide. I worship You today with joy inexpressible and full of glory! Amen.
Memory Verse: 1 Peter 1: 8-9
8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you don’t see Him now, you trust Him and are filled with a joy that is glorious beyond words, 9 receiving the outcome of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
Music Video: If You Want Joy