That sounds good to me. I’m choosing joy today!

I opened a Christmas card, beautifully embossed with Psalm 126:3 on the front.

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Of course, I took pictures of it for my Instagram feed. Then I got my morning coffee, Advent devotional, my journal, and tablet. I turned on the Christmas tree lights and sat down, prepared to spend time with the Lord.

Here’s the Christmas card that started all this.

When I opened the devotional of the day, I notice the verse at the top of the page was Psalm 126:3. That’s twice this morning. I had to pause and ask, “Lord, what are you saying to me?”

After reading the devotional, I turned on my tablet and bible app and searched for the Psalm. And there was again, already highlighted glowing and golden on my screen.

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

The LORD has done great things for me, am I filled with joy? In this season of joyful anticipation of the Lord’s coming, honestly, I haven’t’ been. Many of us are in the same mental or emotional state this year. It’s been a tough one, after all.

But there, in the twinkling Christmas tree light, I closed my eyes to reflect on my many blessings. I thought of my husband, children, grandchildren, my dear mother, sister, brother, his family, my sister’s daytime caregiver, and so much more.

As I recalled the great things God has done for me, a blanket of joy began to unfold, enveloping me in a warming joy only possible through Jesus.

Can we be joyful?

It almost feels selfish to think about it.

Enduring Word.com states Psalm 126 was for pilgrims coming to Jerusalem and was likely composed after the exile. Christianity.com’s Charles He Spergeon’s Treasure of David describes it as a song after a great deliverance from oppression. In any case, Psalm 126:2 says joy overtook them, and they laughed and sang with joyful shouts.

It sounds like a party to me! Couldn’t we all stand some of that right now?

Photo by Emma Shappley on Unsplash

Yes, God again put that verse in front of me. You could say He repeated it three times in about twenty minutes. I believe He did this because He loves me and didn’t want me to miss it. He already knows I’ll need reminding at some point. And this memory is a gift, a marked moment to recall on the darker days because they will come.

It’s was like a whisper saying, I’ve rescued you from captivity—be joyful. Rejoice, I am here with you. That is reason enough.

Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

He doesn’t want you to miss it either. Do you ever feel like you don’t deserve joy because your sin is too great? Or you can’t have joy when others are suffering so much? That’s not what God wants for you and me.

We all have blessings, and taking stock helps shine a light on some of them you may have even forgotten. And if God has gifted you with certain blessings, doesn’t He also want you to accept and experience the joys those blessings ignite? Yes, of course, He does.

Today, choose joy, my friend. Choose joy!

Matt 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and He shall be called Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

This is a great thing God has done for us.

I’ve written about joy before in my Fruit of the Spirit series. You can check it out here.

You can also find me over at the Let’s Have Coffee linkup with Sue Donaldson