Rejoice in God my Savior
Its easy to find things to get depressed about. Even as Christians, we can lose sight of the promises of God and find ourselves in the slough of despond.
This is true especially of those who look at the last day events already beginning to gather steam. They see the Papacy working behind the scenes, they see the encroachment of Satan into the churches, they are bombarded by the noise of this world, and lose the evidences of heaven only detectible through faith.
It is important to know the movements of the enemy. How else can we warn others about it and wake them up? Yet, as important as it is to know these things, they are not to be our primary focus.
“This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep…. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Neb. 8:9,10).
There will be sorrow and darkness soon enough. Real darkness. How will we fair then when we must grasp for every gleam of light in the dense fog of confusion and despair if we haven’t practiced now in times of comparative peace? Let us not gather about us the dark before it really hits with full force.
Let’s remember Paul and Silas in prison singing the hymns until Jesus couldn’t stand it anymore to leave His beloved forsaken and made the earth quake. Let us learn how to tug on God’s heart strings like that! Faith and love for God; perfect trust and rest!!!!!
Yes, we have a great time of trouble on the way. Yes, “the wicked shall do wickedly,” and “many shall be purified, and made white, and tried” (Dan. 12:10); no doubt the times ahead are going to be filled with terror and difficulties. But the joy of the Lord is our strength.
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” (Mic. 7:8).
Paul, right on the verge of becoming a martyr, was full of rejoicing.
”What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.” (Phil. 1:18).
“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.” (Phil. 2:16,17).
“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.” (Phil. 3:1).
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Phil. 4:4).
“Rejoice evermore.” (1Thess. 5:16).
“And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Lk. 1:47).
And Peter, who also was about to suffer martyrdom. ”Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1Pet. 1:5-7).
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” (1Pet 4:13,14).
And Isaiah who was sawn to death, happily saying in behalf of the Lord. “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” (Is. 48:10). ”I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” (Is. 61:10).
Because there is the hope of the end of wickedness and the power of Satan.
”And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (Rev 18:19-21).
The king of Babylon “shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt,” “that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name,” but he “shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Dan. 11:43;Rev. 13:17;Dan. 11:45).
“But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.” (Joel 2:20,21).
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Rev. 12:12).
So,”although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Hab. 3:17-19).
This is true especially of those who look at the last day events already beginning to gather steam. They see the Papacy working behind the scenes, they see the encroachment of Satan into the churches, they are bombarded by the noise of this world, and lose the evidences of heaven only detectible through faith.
It is important to know the movements of the enemy. How else can we warn others about it and wake them up? Yet, as important as it is to know these things, they are not to be our primary focus.
“This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep…. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Neb. 8:9,10).
There will be sorrow and darkness soon enough. Real darkness. How will we fair then when we must grasp for every gleam of light in the dense fog of confusion and despair if we haven’t practiced now in times of comparative peace? Let us not gather about us the dark before it really hits with full force.
Let’s remember Paul and Silas in prison singing the hymns until Jesus couldn’t stand it anymore to leave His beloved forsaken and made the earth quake. Let us learn how to tug on God’s heart strings like that! Faith and love for God; perfect trust and rest!!!!!
Yes, we have a great time of trouble on the way. Yes, “the wicked shall do wickedly,” and “many shall be purified, and made white, and tried” (Dan. 12:10); no doubt the times ahead are going to be filled with terror and difficulties. But the joy of the Lord is our strength.
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” (Mic. 7:8).
Paul, right on the verge of becoming a martyr, was full of rejoicing.
”What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.” (Phil. 1:18).
“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.” (Phil. 2:16,17).
“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.” (Phil. 3:1).
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Phil. 4:4).
“Rejoice evermore.” (1Thess. 5:16).
“And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Lk. 1:47).
And Peter, who also was about to suffer martyrdom. ”Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1Pet. 1:5-7).
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” (1Pet 4:13,14).
And Isaiah who was sawn to death, happily saying in behalf of the Lord. “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” (Is. 48:10). ”I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” (Is. 61:10).
Because there is the hope of the end of wickedness and the power of Satan.
”And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (Rev 18:19-21).
The king of Babylon “shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt,” “that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name,” but he “shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Dan. 11:43;Rev. 13:17;Dan. 11:45).
“But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.” (Joel 2:20,21).
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Rev. 12:12).
So,”although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Hab. 3:17-19).
posted by David | 6:27 AM
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