My God is My Joy
Psalm 43: 3-5 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me
I’m almost in a panic. Most people who know me would probably not think I’m shy. There’s something quite misleading about the loud shy ones. I am shy. I am nervous around people I don’t know. I get scared to break out of my comfort zone. I remember being told by someone I went to high school with that they had misread me. They thought I was a snob and wouldn’t talk to everyone. I wouldn’t talk to everyone, not because I was a snob, but because if I didn’t know you, it didn’t seem like it was worth the risk. I couldn’t handle the rejection. I’m not sure that much has changed.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?
This weekend I’m going to be presenting a portion of Deb Burma’s “Beautiful Feet” retreat. I have wanted to have an opportunity to speak and get used to being in front of a crowd. I want to be confident, but then my cowardice and shy side starts to get the better of me. Thinking about it now nearly puts me in a panic. I feel called to be a writer and a speaker. A year ago I was doing neither. Now I’m writing two or more times a week. I am looking for opportunities to build my speaking skills and pray that soon both the writing and the speaking will used to the glory of God. I want nothing more than my whole life to be used for Him. (Did I really write that down – God can do some scary things when you give your life to Him – EEEK).
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
The Lord knows what He’s doing. He has given me opportunity and encouragement along these paths. I need to put my hope in Him and not rely on myself. I may not be the world’s best writer or speaker, but the Lord can make my speaking and my writing to be more than my words. Because I use scripture in my writing and speaking, the Holy Spirit is present, and His word will not return to Him void. I can trust and put my hope in Him. Most who know me would say I have the gift of speaking (or talking on and on and on). I hope that I do and that I put my hope in God and praise him with all that I do.
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.
God is my Joy and my Delight. I’m amazed every time I come to write my blog how I’m given a new verse telling me about who my God is. He is so multifaceted. He’s everything we need. I do delight in Him. He is my joy. Each day I find there are things that He points to, flowers, friends, verses in scripture. I am amazed at how involved He is in my life. Everyone has at least one gift from God. Do you know what yours is? I believe that when you start using that gift to God’s glory, He will use it to draw you closer to Him, so that you might have joy and delight in Him. You may find yourself seeing God in the details of your life. Take joy that He is there, and put your hope in him.
Have you seen God in the details?
God is... 