As we Rejoice in the Lord we are Strengthened in the Vision

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.  They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.   -Psalm 89:15, 16

The Bible shows us that those who are walking with the Lord have something to rejoice about – at all times.  From time to time people will find themselves rejoicing and being grateful for something good that has happened to them, but for the follower of Christ, we can rejoice in the Lord and be thankful at all times and in all circumstances.  The reason for this is that the hand of God is at work in our lives.  We have His presence and grace to give comfort and hope.  The Bible says that in the name of the Lord His followers rejoice – all day long.  Here is what this means: on the basis of our relationship with the Lord we will rejoice.  We will rejoice when great things happen in our lives, but if those wonderful movements of God’s Spirit do not come and if the miracle doesn’t seem to be happening we will not be discouraged, but we will rejoice anyway.

 

As we move towards the vision God has given us we are strengthened as we go.  The world is filled with people who are waiting until everything is right in their lives before they experience true peace.  The logic appears to be that when the circumstances of their live are all as they should be then they will have peace.  That kind of thinking is flawed, because who among has no problems, fears, conflicts, or concerns?  We all do and those situations are a part of life.  The peace of God comes not as a result of us having no problems or worries, but rather the peace of God comes in the midst of all that.  The peace the Lord offers comes right in the thick of our darkest and most desperate hour. 

• The peace of God is Job losing just about everything and then proclaiming, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  

• The peace of God is Paul and Silas locked away in the dark and dirty dungeon and singing hymns of praise to God. 

• The peace of God is when the trials of life seem more than we can bear, but we stand upon God’s promise because He is faithful.  

 We trust the Lord, rejoice, look to Him, believe, and keep moving forward, even when we believe that the strength for doing so is gone.  When we seek after hope and strength in any other resource we are going to be disappointed. However, when we look to the Lord and put our faith in Him we will never be disappointed.  Christ will always come through and He will give us the victory - in Him.