Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things.” -Deuteronomy 28:47*
The joy of the Lord is my strength. It is not in me to have joy in ALL things. To take joy in you no matter what. But you oh God are the only source of joy there is. There is no other way my heart can be glad, overwhelmingly glad at the story you have written for our lives. As I sit outside on my porch, the chimes given to us in honor of Sophie and Dasah softly singing of joy, of life. The music I’d rather hear… their voices. Instead only chimes. And yet, still there is joy. A tire swing that’s only been enjoyed by friends, nephews. A myrtle tree for Dasah, a flowering pink tree for Sophie that hasn’t stopped budding since given to us while pregnant with Sophie. Sweet, beautiful, gentle reminders of the life you gave them. Tears, sadness and still joy in the midst of it all. Because you, Oh Lord have met me, and filled my heart with the kind of hope that doesn’t disappoint when life disappoints.
And a son, a sweet little baby, mine, takes a nap inside. It’s a story I would not have written and yet would not trade for another. It is not joy because we have a child. It is joy because your presence has become enough. Because your provision in death and life has overwhelmed. Because your name has stunned us with awe and glory. Only you Lord. Only you could infuse such joy and hope in our broken lives and broken hearts. We have not walked with you perfectly. Our sin on great display in the midst of our grief and yet, your grace displayed all the more as you move us to greater holiness and so move us to greater joy.
“With joyfulness and gladness of heart” let me serve you Lord.
*For greater context in meditating on this passage yourself read the whole of Deuteronomy chapter 28.
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” – Psalm 1:1,2 (emphasis mine)
What does it look like to mediate on God’s word, to allow it to sink into our soul and lift our eyes to who God is and what He has called us too? I often write personal responses to God’s word in my time with him and I’ve decided to invite you into those responses, some current, some from the past few years. I pray that as God has spoken to my heart through His word, so He may use some of these passages to speak to your heart, to cause you to look at His word afresh and perhaps revitalize your own meditation on God’s word. So every Monday look for a new morning meditation!
- A Time to be Silent and a Time to Speak - October 29, 2020
- Teaching Them to Hope, Birthday After Birthday. - January 15, 2020
- A Taste of Hope Fulfilled – Briella Dawn’s Birth Story - August 3, 2018
