The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad, Psalm 126:3. God wants our worship, praise, thanksgiving, adoration of him to in based in knowledge and experience. God calls us to walk along side him that he might reveal unto us the excellence of his person. No other creature has this privilege and opportunity to know God in such a personal way. The expectation of good from the hand of God is the fountain from we draw strength. For the joy of the Lord is your strength. To be in despair is to live without expectation of help from God in the time of need.   Then he said unto them, 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, Nehemiah 8:10.

Rejoice – to express gratitude for the good that we expect and that which he has bestowed on us. We are to serve God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, Deuteronomy 28:47. The word of encouragement is this, fear not and be glad and rejoice for the Lord will do great things, Joel 2:21. The Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers, Deuteronomy 30:9.   We are not to rejoice in our natural abilities but in the strength of God, Psalm 21:1

The greatest cause of our joy should be in the salvation of God, Psalm 21:1   In the salvation of the God we have triumphed over our chief enemy, Satan. Satan sought to steal, and to kill, and to destroy the life that was in Adam by the breath of God. We know that he prevailed in his attack on Adam. But thanks be to God that Jesus triumphed over Satan openly and gave us the opportunity to be restored to live in God. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly, John 10:10.

Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies, 2 Chronicles 20:27. Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice, Philippians 4:4.

Written by Pastor Carlton Ashlock