| Psalm 118:24 – 12 April 2018 |
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
NKJV
This is a word from Abba for all His sons and daughters. Your breakthrough is here, arising out of your rejoicing! He has deep, inexpressible, divine joy for each of us, “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). It is a joy that fills us with strength. We read in Nehemiah 8:10, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength”. Grief robs us of life and power, while the joy of Jesus fills us with a sense of well-being and strength!
“Rejoice” means the following: “Feel or show great joy or delight. Happiness, pleasure, gladness, delight, elation, jubilation, exuberance, exultation, celebration, revelry, merrymaking.” These words paint a picture of loud, explosive expressions of positive, emotion. In Philippians 4:4, Paul advised the church as follows: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice”! He calls us to active, continuous, repeated, celebratory joy in God. We have grown accustomed to praising God and rejoicing in Him when we experience answers to prayer, or see our breakthrough happening. However, Paul and the writer of Psalm 118 show us that joy is something we walk in every day, regardless of our circumstances. Rejoicing ushers us into the breakthrough because it is an expression of our trust in God, and our faith that He is working everything out for our good in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a manifestation of our unconditional love for Jesus who unconditionally laid down His life on our behalf. Hallelujah!
Here are some nuggets to hold on to:
• Don’t postpone rejoicing for tomorrow ! This is the day the Lord has made, and this is the day to begin to give Him thanks and rejoice! There are no coincidences for those who are His. God created this day for you, and He is calling you higher, into the fulfillment of endless divine possibilities. Is your joy conditional on what He does, and on what has been happening in your day? Or is your joy based on the extreme goodness of God and His extreme love for you? He called you out of the darkness of your past into the glorious light of His Life. He only has good and perfect plans for you!
• Decide to embrace joy! It is an act of our will, and a choice that we make. The Psalmist (King David) says “we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Despite all the challenging situations going on in his life, David chose to be glad in the Lord and to embrace His joy. He had set His heart to rejoice in every situation. Paul too faced much persecution and rejection in the course of his life, but he still writes “rejoice in the Lord always” and “yet again I say rejoice”! It is easy to start the day feeling joyful, but as the hours go by, we may find our hearts responding to things that happen and the level of joy going down. This is why we need to see that joy is not a response of our hearts, but a state we can be in always and every day.
Finally, remember that to the Lord a day is much more than a 24 hour segment of time. Psalm 90:4 says “A day is like a thousand years”, and Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not forget this one thing dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day”. God is looking to release His joy into your life, not just for a day here or there, but for eternity! You are stepping into a whole new season of inexplicable joy and rejoicing. He has seen your tears and heard your prayers. He is calling you higher to live in the heavenly realm of “yes” and “amen”. He is calling you into the daily awareness of His manifest presence with you through each day and night. Your joy is not conditional on your circumstances or the things you see happening around you. Your joy is flowing from your living connection with the One who is all Joy! He is calling you deeper into Him as He says: “My very precious child, time was created just for you. Decide to break free from anxiety and the fear of not having enough of it. This is the “day” I have made especially for you. You can do all things in the power of my name, and overcome every challenge of time in the power of My Spirit. You can step into the heavenly realms where all joy comes from when you set your heart to live in Me. Let your heart be filled with My joy! My glory, and every answered prayer pours forth from this place of joy.”
There will be no more “bad” days and “good” days dear friend. Know that you are blessed and highly favored, and the Spirit of the Lord is upon you to bring good news! Every day can be filled with joy, so start today. It is completely up to you!
