Verse Twenty One: Proverbs 2:14

They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. Pro 2:14

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Wow. 

I have been staring and praying and staring some more at this for a while now. It's the second or third time I have come back to this entry, simply because all the sudden my little project went from being a poetic heart cry to a very real warning. And it throws me for a loop! What does that say about me? It's rather eye opening.... convicting... life isn't a blissful leap from one joyous moment to the next, joy isn't all about me and a feeling and joy certainly isn't reserved for the good things of this world. Otherwise the choice would be easy, wouldn't it? On the other side of that decision, to be a Christ follower, I know the reward, the worth, the value of walking with Him and that it truly outshines anything the world has to offer. I also remember the truth of my past, that there was a time that I took pleasure in doing wrong and enjoyed the ways of evil. For a time, in the moment, it was easy to do. I said, "No regrets!" and I believed it. 

We may be capable of experiencing joy when we indulge in evil, but its not the same joy we experience with Christ. We've seen the overpowering evidence of this through the testimonies in Psalms and all of the circumstances that joy can overcome and now in Proverbs we are given a new insight and perspective. It's almost like the difference between the right and left brain :) Proverbs approaches the matter from a different angle: Wisdom. 

Two verses stood out to me as I read Proverbs 2. Proverbs 2:10 (NLT) says, "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy." Verse 21 and 22 says, "For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted." 

The path of wisdom and righteousness brings joy, and yet we also see that evil can bring joy. So what's the difference? Why choose one over the other? I feel verses 21 and 22 hold the key when they describe the wicked being "removed from the land". In my experience, the joy that evil brought was short lived. I felt empty...just...void. I tried to do what gave me pleasure before and it left me lifeless. It was like being cut off, Joy was the land and I couldn't stay, because accessing it through wicked means couldn't only last for so long. Eventually, I'd be uprooted and unable to get back that way. Maybe this is why we jump from thing to thing when we don't have Christ. But the joy brought by wisdom to those who are truthful and whole (and the only way to be whole on every level is through the healing power of Jesus) THAT joy will reain and we will remain in it. Thank you, Lord!

Verse Twenty: Psalm 149:2

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Psa 149:2 KJV

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Ever wonder why God made you? I've wondered this too many times to count. And not usually in a positive way either, right? There is no joyful praising the Master Craftsman for His workmanship in you LOL No... If we are honest its more like, "What the hell were you thinking? Why the #&$@ am I here? I am so sick of feeling _____" I usually fill in the blank with "like and idiot" or "clueless" or "like a failure." (My husband is reading this going, "That's a lie! Don't think that!" haha! That's why I love you, baby) Don't get me wrong, I am not doing this everyday (ok...not anymore) but there are times of frustration when nothing is going the way you thought it would or think it should that you really question what the heck God was thinking when He made you, because you sure don't feel like you are accomplishing anything worth living for. 

Anyone else just think of It's a Wonderful Life? I <3 that movie. It's a good reminder. 

I guess this verse just really hit home for me today because it reminded me of how many times I have done the opposite and just how much I have learned about this in the past year.  

In order to rejoice in something, you have to accept it. Interesting word accept. I can think of so many times this word has been used as a portrayal of resistent resignation. (to" tolerate or submit to (something unpleasant or undesired)") But that is one usage out of many for accept. Others can be more positive like "regard favorably or with approval." My favorite, however, is the origin of the word:  

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin acceptare, frequentative of accipere ‘take something to oneself,’ from ad- ‘to’ + capere ‘take.’ 

"Take something to oneself."  

Is being made by God something that I can accept? That I can bring to my self?  Can I take who He made me, what talents He did or didn't give me and what that means? That's hard enough just accepting it, but this psalm isn't even saying "Accept what God made you and deal with it best you can." It's saying accept it and then be all excited about it! 


"I can't be all excited about it, there is nothing about me to be all excited about." Imaginary person then goes on to list all the reasons they suck (and by imaginary person I mean me in one of my depression spirals, so I'm not judging here). So whats the answer? Same psalm, different verse: 

Verse 4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

The Lord takes pleasure in you! He probably knows what He's talkin' about, right? ;) All Knowing God verses Me, I think I'd bet on All Knowing God knowing what He's doing. If He thinks there is something to delight in then there must be something. OH! And interesting tid bit here, there original hebrew for the word "pleasure" in this verse includes "to be pleased with, be favourable to, accept favourably" Oooooo way to tie it in there, Lord... So lets see...

If God takes pleasure in me and accepts me....then that means there is something to take pleasure in and accept .... which means I'd be believing a lie if I believed otherwise... Which means I should go ahead and believe Him and accept myself as a creation God spent time on and made... And if I can do that, then life really starts to look up, I start to see me the way God sees me, see my life the way He does, and everything gets a lot more beautiful :) How awesome is that?? Thank you, Jesus! 

Verse Nineteen: Psa 118:24

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.  

Psa 118:24

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I feel silly even writing about this verse. It's self explanatory, isn't it? Maybe you've known it for so long its even easy to ignore. What's so important about the day being made by God, anyway?

I wasn't born cynical, a lot of life things came about and eventually it was easier to be cynical (notice that they didn't "make" me cynical. I chose it, even if it was out of a perceived need to protect my emotional self). It's become hard for me to just be all optimistic and sunshiny bear about life. Can't you just hear this verse being said by some disgustingly peppy morning person as you stare hazily at them through your coffee steam wishing for Friday? Makes you want to punch them in the face doesn't it? Yeah me too. But then that's not what God's Word is supposed to really trigger in us, so something is wrong here. My guess is it's my attitude ;)

"But," you protest, "I am having a bad day and I really don't care if the Lord made it. It doesn't matter either way, this straight up sucks." I know how you feel. I want to know why it should matter too. So lets explore that.

The word used for "made" (according to Strongs) could also be read as "to labour, to work about anything" and it gives the example of working with gold or silver. This is slightly more powerful. God labored over this day, like a craftsman labors over their work.

And He did this out of "goodness," we are told. Verse one says to "give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his mercy endures forever." Here's the interesting thing about that word good. Again looking at Strongs and the Gesenius Lexicon, we find more depth and complexity to the word that gets lost in translation. It isn't just "good" it's a bountiful, pure and precious goodness. The word mercy is complicated too. I think it's easy to think that mercy is somehow a negative. We get the mental image of a haughty God, seated at his throne watching us be beaten in judgement and then he holds up his hand just before the point of our death to halt the torture, showing us "mercy" in that we get to live. Not a happy image.  The reality is that, in this hebrew form, it's synonymous with lovingkindess, ardour, and desire. Mercy, it seems, is like a desire to correct or reproach another being from a place of fervent love. If this is sounding almost too close to a sort of manipulative emotional abuse ("I love you that's why I hurt you") remember that God is also purely good. He is incapable of abuse. He instructs and disciplines (verse 18). How else could we come from the situation actually singing His praises and declaring how wonderful He is?

So what about a bad day? Well, according to the rest of Psalm 118, when the world, man and nations come against you all you have to do is call on the Lord and He will set you free from it. Verse five, "Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free." and verse 14 "The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

For such a short verse I sure have gone on a lot :P So after ALL that what is the conclusion? Well this isn't just any day. This is a day the Lord fervently, ardently labored over and, because He is purely good He creates nothing but good things, we have reason to joyfully sing about it. Those good things can go bad, the world can attack us from all sides but even then the answer is the Lord; He will save us when we call and His freedom will get us singing! 

Verse Seventeen & Eighteen: Psalm 97:1 & 8

Psa 97:1

The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad. 

Psa 97:8

Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced, and all the towns of Judah are glad because of your justice, O LORD! 

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Well what do you know! Psalm 97 is very much a continuation of what we saw in Psalm 96.  Again, we have the combination of the earth and nature rejoicing and fearing the Lord as well as the proclamation that the lesser gods and idols have nothing on Him. 

Verse 7, "Those who worship idols are disgraced— all who brag about their worthless gods— for every god must bow to him."

Verse 9, "For you, O LORD, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods." 

It's a good argument, really. Why bow to something like an idol rather than God when it's bowing to God? Even if you believe this thing to be greater than you, it seems we have a choice of giving our worship to one entity. Why put it on the lesser? 

In my little United States day to day life I don't really know anyone who worships idols like they did in those days. But the concepts of fear and worship go hand in hand. They both set something up higher than you. What you fear, you are also worshiping. And the word "fear" doesn't always mean terror, it is synonymous with revere as well. In our life we have idols, things we put our fear to, things we believe are too big for us. We expend anxiety and worry on these things, we fret about them and think more about them than Truth. Truth like: For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Phil 4:13). 

So much of what God's word has for us is for our betterment. I have heard it referred to as a rule book all my life. So many people believe this! But it's more like advice, the best advice you could ever get, and who would go against advice like that? When God commanded us not to put any other god before Him, do you think it was really just because He doesn't like competition? I have the feeling it's more likely that He knows how easily we put other things before Him and His truth. We completely forget that we "can do everything through Christ" and focus on the things we are afraid of. 

The earth can see how glorious God is. It does not war with Him as it does with the other mythological gods. Its a testimony of simple faith and seeing the truth all around us. 

Verse Sixteen: Psalm 96:11, What's So Important About A Joyous Earth?

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Psa 96:11 NLT

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This psalm reminds me of something I read recently about ancient beliefs. The Hebrew were actually quite unique compared to other religions, especially the ones surrounding them, because they condemned the practice nature worship. Well, the prophets condemned it and tried to get the people to follow suite. It was a unique and new "mythology" in the world for there to be a single God who exists beyond nature, not bound by its forces. The Hebrew were surrounded by temptation to worship as other cultures did. But consider how the Babylonian gods operated:

"Where the Babylonian gods were engaged in an ongoing battle against the forces of chaos, and needed the rituals of the New Year festival to restore their energies, Yahweh can simply rest on the seventh day, his work complete." (from Eliade, Myths, Dreams, and Mysteries) 

Those gods didn't have power over nature, they were trying to beat it into submission! Meanwhile, they need rituals to power back up after this exhausting matchup. But then you have Yahweh. Much of Psalm 96 emphasizes this relationship of God to nature, as well as how this sets Him not only apart from the idol gods but higher than them. Knowing this gave me a deeper understanding of what makes a psalm like this important. Vs. 4 says "Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods." We all know the commandment to not have any gods before God, but this psalm could be considered a point for the argument.  If you're wondering why God is greater and you should worship Him instead, consider the fact that nature doesn't try to kick His butt, it worships Him because He made it. 

V. 1  "Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!"

Vs. 5 "The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens!"

Vs. 9 "Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him."

Vs. 11 "Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!"

Vs. 12 "Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise (before the Lord)"

Nature knows its Lord Creator and in what direction its praises should go. And yet in Genesis we are told that man was given authority over it. I don't want to sound to too hippie, but it seems to me we could learn a lesson or two about the proper approach to authority over nature when we compare the Babylonian idol gods methods to that of Yahweh. Trying to dominate "the forces of chaos" wasn't getting them anything but tired.  We shouldn't be taking that route. We should be looking to emulate the Creator, He who knows His creation inside out. This makes Him the ultimate provider of their needs, a caring tender of the earth. It responds gloriously to Him and is it any wonder why? It's praising Him for the same reasons we often do, because we felt the depth of His love through the way He provided and cared for us, showing us just how well He knows our needs. It's rather beautiful, don't you think?

Verse Fifteen: Psalm 89:16

They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. 

They exult in your righteousness. Psa 89:16 NLT

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Ok, a couple of things. First, is it weird that when I read this Psalm I can tell its not David? It says the author is Ethan the Ezrahite and no offense to Ethan here but I find him far more confusing. I am sure this psalm is just above my level of study or something. That still doesn't change the fact that I don't know why it goes from praising God because he is mighty and awesome, on into telling the story of David's anointing and how God will never lift it everything is glorious and will be glorious forever to saying BUT HE HAS LIFTED IT! Everything is awful!! David is abandoned and when is God going to bless Him again?? How long will he hide his face blah blah blah. And then the last line a total 180 to "Praise the LORD forever! Amen and amen!" What?? Talk about swinging from one extremem to another. Make up your mind, man!  There is no middle ground with him or something.

So...with that said... I am confessing I have nothing more to say on this verse because I find the psalm so frickin confusing... I suppose I will say this though... In the end no matter if you are being blessed or feel the Lord has taken that blessing and left you exposed to the world and all its attacks, we don't know enough about everything to not say, as Ethan here does, "Praise the LORD forever! Amen and amen!" No matter what, the Lord is worthy of praise.

Verse Fourteen: Psalm 53:6 Restoration

Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice. Psalm 53:6 NLT

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I have to admit, I do NOT want to do this right now. I have a head cold and my sinus cavities are soOo not happy right now. So this might be short and sweet and my grammer will probably suck be imperfect. I am forcing myself to do it because I am tired of things getting in the way of this very good thing. Maybe thats why they are happening, who knows, but I know one thing God's totally worth it. So if all my own personal strength can handle today is to listen to some fantastic worship and dwell a bit on a verse, that's what I am going to do. God can use that. He can do anything. And its not about me, now is it ;)

I stared at this psalm for a while. My brain isn't working. But I got this: Restoration.

Restoration is fantastic isn't it? Think about it, think about all the times you have been broken. shattered. or when something has been taken from you. A dream maybe, a hope. Maybe God hasn't restored all of that to you yet, but He wants to. It can be a journey to even discover that you had this thing once. Recently, I realized there was a dream I'd had when I was young. It was stolen so young that I forgot it even existed. it's been 22 years since then, 22 years of shutting it out, shutting it down, believing a lie to the point I did't even know there was a truth. You can bet that when he restored that dream to me I rejoiced (and cried...a lot).

"Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?" 

Who will? I love that the response here begins with "When." When God. There's no doubt, no maybe. When. It's gonna happen and WHEN  it does, there WILL be joy, there WILL be rejoicing. DUDE!! Can I get an Amen?! Just thinking about it gets me all jazzed, who knows what else He has for me, He just keeps going... And for you. Be open to it. Trust Him to restore you, choose to let Him show you the truth of His love. You will rejoice :) 

Verse Thirteen: Psalm 51:8

Wow...its been a while since I have been able to do this, between my Dad visiting and then getting some flu thing for five days. SO glad to be back and have the energy to write again. Now if I could just stop getting distracted... ok FOCUS! :)

Psa 51:8 (NIV) Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

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How I digest these verses, so to speak, is by reading the verse by itself and then moving onto the chapter as a whole, then go from there to wherever the Lord leads me. I have to admit, there is quite an impact of that last half alone and I was very motivated to find out what could induce that wording.  

Turns out this psalm has an interesting timing reference indeed. "A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba." Ah. Ok some sense is coming in. As I read, I recognized more and more of it. Somehow I had never made the connection, like a child that watches a movie and then when older sees so much more in it than they ever saw before.

The hebrew used for "crushed" is the piel form of dakah ("i.e broken by a consciousness of guilt")

Dakah

1) to crush, be crushed, be contrite, be broken

a) (Qal) to be crushed, collapse

b) (Niphal) to be crushed, be contrite, be broken

c) (Piel)

1) to crush down

2) to crush to pieces

This is no ordinary day, no ordinary song. This could very well be one of deepest cries of this man's heart ever in his life...  think about that just for a moment. David has monumentally sinned and he knows it, he feels it to the core of his bones and the guilt just shatters him. God is giving him that knowledge, He knows it will hurt, will break David, but that's exactly why He must tell him! He can't let him continue on with his life doing this, He loves him too much. Have you even thought about how when God does this there is no real guarantee that he won't lose us over it? At least for a time. Yes God knows all but we have that freedom of will to choose, to turn it all on Him or to realize what we've done and run back to him crying for the forgiveness we know we don't deserve but will get. Begging to be loved again. And we will be loved again. That's the beauty. But not until that sin has been dealt with. God knows what that sin will do to us, how much it will damage us and He doesn't want that. He is always willing to face the sin with us, but we have to choose to face it with him. 

I think I know what David means in this verse, I have been in that place of knowing my sin. The crushing guilt, the brokenness. But also the overwhelming, staggering relief of being forgiven, freed, purified and loved by God. That joy is like none other.

Verse Twelve: Psalm 48:11

Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.
Psalm 48:11 NIV

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Its one of those days that has really gotten my heart racing, rushing around and ultimately having to fight for my priorities to be kept.  It is a fight isn't it? Not to be selfish but to maintain yourself, to keep things inline.  There are so many things to pull us away from God, the source of everything we actually need, and the next thing you know you're completely drained, sapped.

I love this blog, it has been such a gift, honestly.  A rejuvenating blessing, something I look forward to. And I think that is why I have been trying to share it more. Not like I have anything amazing to say, but God does and when He speaks to us isn't it hard not to share? There is such peace here...

This Psalm reads like a love song to Mount Zion saying,  "Take her in, isn't she gorgeous?" It is the Lord's holy mountain, His city. He protects it, makes it a secure place, a place of meditation. 

Verse 14 is so beautiful, "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." The beauty of it is the truth that pulls at the sense of eternity in our hearts. My heart longs for this to be true and simultaneously rejoices that it is.  This is why Mount Zion rejoices, why the villages of Judah are glad, because of God's judgements, His decisions... which is His guidance. We so often read "judgement" and think heaven or hell, judgement of sin, etc. The ominous judge, high above, waiting to sentence us.  And not saying this is not the correct application at times...ok maybe not the ominous judge...but my point is that it is not always a scary or negative connotation. When we are following a leader, we are relying on them to make the right decision about which way to go, what to do and how to respond. What better guide than one that knows all and sees all? Its hard to give up that control, to have faith that He will keep us safe and protect us, but when that truth sinks in we cannot help but rejoice in the security we feel there in His guidance. 

All of the Strong's H1523 verses

{ Quick Note: I had to keep the King James Version for these in order to show the Strong's reference numbers. If you want an easier version to read, simply google the verse reference }
TOTAL: 44

1Ch 16:31 KJV - "Let the heavens [8064] be glad [8055] , and let the earth [776] rejoice[1523] : and let men say [559] among the nations [1471], The LORD [3068] reigneth [4427] ."

Psa 2:11 KJV - "Serve [5647] the LORD [3068] with fear [3374], and rejoice[1523] with trembling [7461]."

Psa 9:14 KJV - "That I may shew forth [5608] all thy praise [8416] in the gates [8179] of the daughter [1323] of Zion [6726]: I will rejoice[1523] in thy salvation [3444]."

Psa 13:4 KJV - "Lest mine enemy [341] say [559] , I have prevailed [3201] against him; and those that trouble [6862] me rejoice[1523] when I am moved [4131] ."

Psa 13:5 KJV - "But I have trusted [982] in thy mercy [2617]; my heart [3820] shall rejoice[1523] in thy salvation [3444]."

Psa 14:7 KJV - "Oh that [5414] the salvation [3444] of Israel [3478] were come out of Zion [6726]! when the LORD [3068] bringeth back [7725] the captivity [7622] of his people [5971], Jacob [3290] shall rejoice[1523] , and Israel [3478] shall be glad [8055] ."

Psa 16:9 KJV - "Therefore my heart [3820] is glad [8055] , and my glory [3519] rejoiceth[1523] : my flesh [1320] also shall rest [7931] in hope [983]."

Psa 21:1 KJV - "[[To the chief Musician [5329] , A Psalm [4210] of David [1732].]] The king [4428] shall joy [8055] in thy strength [5797], O LORD [3068]; and in thy salvation [3444] how greatly [3966] shall he rejoice[1523] !"

Psa 31:7 KJV - "I will be glad[1523] and rejoice [8055] in thy mercy [2617]: for thou hast considered [7200] my trouble [6040]; thou hast known [3045] my soul [5315] in adversities [6869];"

Psa 32:11 KJV - "Be glad [8055] in the LORD [3068], and rejoice[1523] , ye righteous [6662]: and shout [7442] for joy, all ye that are upright [3477] in heart [3820]."

Psa 35:9 KJV - "And my soul [5315] shall be joyful[1523] in the LORD [3068]: it shall rejoice [7797] in his salvation [3444]."

Psa 48:11 KJV - "Let mount [2022] Zion [6726] rejoice [8055] , let the daughters [1323] of Judah [3063] be glad[1523] , because of thy judgments [4941]."

Psa 51:8 KJV - "Make me to hear [8085] joy [8342] and gladness [8057]; that the bones [6106] which thou hast broken [1794] may rejoice[1523] ."

Psa 53:6 KJV - "Oh that [5414] the salvation [3444] of Israel [3478] were come out of Zion [6726]! When God [430] bringeth back [7725] the captivity [7622] of his people [5971], Jacob [3290] shall rejoice[1523] , and Israel [3478] shall be glad [8055] ."

Psa 89:16 KJV - "In thy name [8034] shall they rejoice[1523] all the day [3117]: and in thy righteousness [6666] shall they be exalted [7311] ."

Psa 96:11 KJV - "Let the heavens [8064] rejoice [8055] , and let the earth [776] be glad[1523] ; let the sea [3220] roar [7481] , and the fulness [4393] thereof."

Psa 97:1 KJV - "The LORD [3068] reigneth [4427] ; let the earth [776] rejoice[1523] ; let the multitude [7227] of isles [339] be glad [8055] thereof."

Psa 97:8 KJV - "Zion [6726] heard [8085] , and was glad [8055] ; and the daughters [1323] of Judah [3063] rejoiced[1523] because of thy judgments [4941], O LORD [3068]."

Psa 118:24 KJV - "This is the day [3117] which the LORD [3068] hath made [6213] ; we will rejoice[1523] and be glad [8055] in it."

Psa 149:2 KJV - "Let Israel [3478] rejoice [8055] in him that made [6213] him: let the children [1121] of Zion [6726] be joyful[1523] in their King [4428]."

Pro 2:14 KJV - "Who rejoice [8056] to do [6213] evil [7451], and delight[1523] in the frowardness [8419] of the wicked [7451];"

Pro 23:24 KJV - "The father [1] of the righteous [6662] shall greatly [1524] rejoice[1523] : and he that begetteth [3205] a wise [2450] child shall have joy [8055] of him."

Pro 23:25 KJV - "Thy father [1] and thy mother [517] shall be glad [8055] , and she that bare [3205] thee shall rejoice[1523] ."

Pro 24:17 KJV - "Rejoice [8055] not when thine enemy [341] falleth [5307] , and let not thine heart [3820] be glad[1523] when he stumbleth [3782] :"

Sgs 1:4 KJV - "Draw [4900] me, we will run [7323] after [310] thee: the king [4428] hath brought [935] me into his chambers [2315]: we will be glad[1523] and rejoice [8055] in thee, we will remember [2142] thy love [1730] more than wine [3196]: the upright [4339] love [157] thee."


Isa 9:3 KJV - "Thou hast multiplied [7235] the nation [1471], and not increased [1431] the joy [8057]: they joy [8055] before [6440] thee according to the joy [8057] in harvest [7105], and as men rejoice[1523] when they divide [2505] the spoil [7998]."

Isa 25:9 KJV - "And it shall be said [559] in that day [3117], Lo, this is our God [430]; we have waited [6960] for him, and he will save [3467] us: this is the LORD [3068]; we have waited [6960] for him, we will be glad[1523] and rejoice [8055] in his salvation [3444]."

Isa 29:19 KJV - "The meek [6035] also shall increase [3254] their joy [8057] in the LORD [3068], and the poor [34] among men [120] shall rejoice[1523] in the Holy One [6918] of Israel [3478]."

Isa 35:1 KJV - "The wilderness [4057] and the solitary place [6723] shall be glad [7797] for them; and the desert [6160] shall rejoice[1523] , and blossom [6524] as the rose [2261]."

Isa 35:2 KJV - "It shall blossom [6524] abundantly [6524] , and rejoice[1523] even with joy [1525] and singing [7444] : the glory [3519] of Lebanon [3844] shall be given [5414] unto it, the excellency [1926] of Carmel [3760] and Sharon [8289], they shall see [7200] the glory [3519] of the LORD [3068], and the excellency [1926] of our God [430]."

Isa 41:16 KJV - "Thou shalt fan [2219] them, and the wind [7307] shall carry them away [5375] , and the whirlwind [5591] shall scatter [6327] them: and thou shalt rejoice[1523] in the LORD [3068], and
shalt glory [1984] in the Holy One [6918] of Israel [3478]."

Isa 49:13 KJV - "Sing [7442] , O heavens [8064]; and be joyful[1523] , O earth [776]; and break forth [6476] into singing [7440], O mountains [2022]: for the LORD [3068] hath comforted [5162] his people [5971], and will have mercy [7355] upon his afflicted [6041]."

Isa 61:10 KJV - "I will greatly [7797] rejoice [7797] in the LORD [3068], my soul [5315] shall be joyful[1523] in my God [430]; for he hath clothed [3847] me with the garments [899] of salvation [3468], he hath covered [3271] me with the robe [4598] of righteousness [6666], as a bridegroom [2860] decketh [3547] himself with ornaments [6287], and as a bride [3618] adorneth [5710] herself with her jewels [3627]."

Isa 65:18 KJV - "But be ye glad [7797] and rejoice[1523] for ever [5703] in that which I create [1254] : for, behold, I create [1254] Jerusalem [3389] a rejoicing [1525], and her people [5971] a joy [4885]."

Isa 65:19 KJV - "And I will rejoice[1523] in Jerusalem [3389], and joy [7797] in my people [5971]: and the voice [6963] of weeping [1065] shall be no more heard [8085] in her, nor the voice [6963] of crying [2201]."

Isa 66:10 KJV - "Rejoice [8055] ye with Jerusalem [3389], and be glad[1523] with her, all ye that love [157] her: rejoice [7797] for joy [4885] with her, all ye that mourn [56] for her:"

Hsa 10:5 KJV - "The inhabitants [7934] of Samaria [8111] shall fear [1481] because of the calves [5697] of Bethaven [1007]: for the people [5971] thereof shall mourn [56] over it, and the priests [3649] thereof that rejoiced[1523] on it, for the glory [3519] thereof, because it is departed [1540] from it."

Joe 2:21 KJV - "Fear [3372] not, O land [127]; be glad[1523] and rejoice [8055] : for the LORD [3068] will do [6213] great things [1431] ."

Joe 2:23 KJV - "Be glad[1523] then, ye children [1121] of Zion [6726], and rejoice [8055] in the LORD [3068] your God [430]: for he hath given [5414] you the former rain [4175] moderately [6666], and he will cause to come down [3381] for you the rain [1653], the former rain [4175], and the latter rain [4456] in the first [7223] month."

Hab 1:15 KJV - "They take up [5927] all of them with the angle [2443], they catch [1641] them in their net [2764], and gather [622] them in their drag [4365]: therefore they rejoice [8055] and are glad[1523] ."

Hab 3:18 KJV - "Yet I will rejoice [5937] in the LORD [3068], I will joy[1523] in the God [430] of my salvation [3468]."

Zep 3:17 KJV - "The LORD [3068] thy God [430] in the midst [7130] of thee is mighty [1368]; he will save [3467] , he will rejoice [7797] over thee with joy [8057]; he will rest [2790] in his love [160], he will joy[1523] over thee with singing [7440]."

Zec 9:9 KJV - "Rejoice[1523] greatly [3966], O daughter [1323] of Zion [6726]; shout [7321] , O daughter [1323] of Jerusalem [3389]: behold, thy King [4428] cometh [935] unto thee: he is just [6662], and having salvation [3467] ; lowly [6041], and riding [7392] upon an ass [2543], and upon a colt [5895] the foal [1121] of an ass [860]."

Zec 10:7 KJV - "And they of Ephraim [669] shall be like a mighty [1368] man, and their heart [3820] shall rejoice [8055] as through wine [3196]: yea, their children [1121] shall see [7200] it, and be glad [8055] ; their heart [3820] shall rejoice[1523] in the LORD [3068]."

Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for giyl (Strong's 1523)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 15 Feb 2012. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
strongs=H1523&t=KJV&page=2 >

Verse Eleven: Psalm 35:9: Crying Out

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation. Psalm 35:9

(11 of 44 of H1523)

Today is a hard day to write about joy. Without going into too much detail, this morning has been a real struggle for me. But a part of my brain says, "This is the day you need to write about it most." Hm. 

George Carlin once said, "Inside every cynical person is a disappointed idealist." 

It's hard to remain idealistic about life, dreams, and goals when you lose sight of the small headway you've made. All you can see is that there are a lot of hopes and they are the same exact hopes you've had for decades. You don't feel any closer to them. If anything, they feel farther away. 

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Phillipians 4:8 NIV

This is hard when what you feel is entirely different. When the current facts and statistics that are looking back at you from the page are not good or lovely. They're disheartening and uninspiring. Lack of progress can suck the motivation right out of me. If trying and not trying equal the same results, why try? 

I am thankful for my husband today because he is often the person that speaks truth to me when I am so discouraged. And we need those people to break through the haze our mind is in at that point. He reminds me that there has been progress, no matter how minuscule. But I feel that constantly relying on others to pull me out of darkness is not maturity. Not that this is weak or that I will even stop turning to others for help, that would be prideful. But my mind needs to learn to change too, to counter attack when attacked, not just curl up in a little ball and cry in fear. I need to choose to stand, not just be carried all the time. Why do I forget all about God and what the Word says in these moments? I am still writing that on my heart. Still learning to see those moments for what they really are: a lie to discourage me, to stop me. 

So here is the tie in to today's verse. Most of Psalm 35 is David asking God to fight for him. And this is probably in reference to real life attacks as he was being pursued by a crazy king out for his blood. But today, it's also my cry. 

Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. 

Say to my soul, "I am your salvation." 

Psalm 35:3

Ours is a spiritual enemy, but he is no less out for our blood and destruction. This fight is no less real and we are no less God's chosen than David was.

I hope this blog made some sense because my mind is still not clear. I wish I could say that as soon as I declared the truth it all fell away, like magic. Sometimes breakthrough happens like that, yeah? But not today. Today I am still fighting the despair, declaring that I will not accept this bleak outlook as truth, I won't stop doing what I am doing. And its working, little by little. I just have to keep holding onto His hand as I try to walk in something I am not used to walking in.

You are good, You are good

When there's nothing good in me

You are love, You are love 

On display for all to see

You are light, You are light 

When the darkness closes in

You are hope, You are hope

You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace

When my fear is crippling

You are true, You are true

Even in my wandering

You are joy, You are joy 

You're the reason that I sing

You are life, You are life, 

In You death has lost its sting

Forever Reign- Hillsong

Verse Ten: Psa 32:11 Appreciating Forgiveness

So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure! Psalm 32:11 NLT

(10 of 44 of H1523)

If you don't look at the whole entry, sometimes these verse can just seem repetitive, can't they? Oh look another verse that says "rejoice and be glad!" And it rolls right off you like nothing even happened. Maybe it's just me :) I can very easily be like that, but I don't want this blog to be that. I don't want this adventure to be THAT. I want to grasp the opportunity for this to really change my life, to write these words on my heart and not so easily lose hope. I struggle with depression and I have for as long as I can remember now. I don't believe that this is what God wants for me and the more I seek that out the more I see that its like a muscle you have to work and God is ready and waiting to be your trainer as soon as you "hire" Him. I say this all for a reason, I approach these verses with intention and with an effort for it to be not of my own logical mind working out the puzzle but as a download from God. I want to know "What do you have for me today from this? What do you want to tell others?" And believe me, until I do that, I am usually pretty stuck on what to write! He is so faithful to answer.

This verse wraps up Psalm 32, which carries a lot of interesting wisdom about how sin/transgression affects our bodies, minds, hearts and especially our relationship with God. The Psalm starts out saying  "Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven" and you can easily see why he would be blessed. Look at the side effects of not coming clean to God:

"When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long." (verse 3)

"My vitality was turned into the drought of summer" (verse 4)

"Do not be like the horse [or] like the mule, [Which] have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you." (verse 9)

"Many sorrows [shall be] to the wicked" (verse 10)

So to recap, NOT confessing our sins to God and asking for forgiveness leads to: Aching bones, lifelessness, cranky-stubborn attitude, and sorrow. Hm. And what about when we do confess it all? Well one, all of those nasty things go away (sweet!) and we gain forgiveness (v. 5), preservation from trouble (v. 7), deliverance (v. 7), a refuge/hiding place (v. 7), instruction and guidance (v.8), understanding (v.9), and mercy (v. 10).  

So in the end David sums it up by pointing out we that, if we have obeyed God and confessed our sins to Him, then our hearts are pure because they have been forgiven; for that reason let's rejoice and be glad :) 

Verse Nine: Psalm 31:7

"I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities and have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place." Psalm 31:7-8 (NKJV)

(verse 9 of the 44 H1523)

Mercy. 

Did you know the webster definition of mercy is "compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm." I didn't, in fact I don't think I have ever bothered to research the word. It's one of those concepts you just get. Mercy is that scene in the movies when a man is about to be killed or beaten and he cries out for "Mercy!" Sounds kinda weird and dumb when I type it out, haha! But when I read the definition, something more clicked. 

Lets be honest, we don't always believe in God's mercy, do we? I think most of us tend to get hung up on our faults and how much we don't deserve mercy. Somehow we think it's easier. It certainly seems more logical. I did X so I deserve X. It's consequences. We've learned that since birth. Touch the hot stove you get burned, tell a lie people get angry with you, get an A on the test and you get approval. Being in a relationship with God doesn't mean that there are no longer bad consequences, that's not what I am saying... King David made mistakes and he still had to face the consequences of them and he was the "man after God's own heart."  But Love can cover a multitude of sins, right? To be loved in spite of all you have done, to be loved through the mess and darkness, to never be alone because He is always with you? That can make all the adversity so much easier. Christ takes the love further than simply warm cuddly feelings. Romans 8:1-2 (The Message) says

"With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death."

His mercy has given us freedom. What a wonderful reason to rejoice and be glad today and everyday!

One year now...

I suppose you could say I took a year hiatus from this blog. A lot has happened in a year! I started a new job, we moved into a new place, and I took on quite a few new projects all in a new state. It's hard to believe it all happened in a year, now that I think about it. But lately I have been thinking about the project and wanting to explore it again. It's a means for the Lord to get some good lessons into my head and I need that more than I think. Life is like that, right? :) Sneaks up on ya. I look forward to getting back to this, we will see where it leads!

Verse Eight: Psalm 21:1

Psa 21:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! (NKJV)

(verse 8 of the 44 H1523)

It's interesting that in the NIV version of this verse, it says "the king rejoices" rather than "shall." I am not an expert by any means, so I am simply speaking from a layman's point of view here...but when I was reading this and searching out what to say about this verse, what the Lord wants to reveal here, the difference between the verbs strikes me. I think it's because it is more of a recommendation with "shall." Let me explain, "The king rejoices in..." is present, it's happening. The king is happy. But with "shall" it changes it just enough to be significant to me. It's going to happen. Have you ever had to choose to be happy about something? Maybe your heart just wasn't in it, maybe you were having a bad day or felt too tired to be excited about anything. Emotionally speaking, you're in a bad mood and you know it but there is a reason more important than yourself that motivates you to choose a better response. 

I have met a lot of people in life that don't believe you can choose your emotions. If you're sad, you're sad, etc. But this puts the person out of control, without responsibility and in the place of the victim. It's also not true. You are feeling grumpy but then lets say you walk into the next room and there is a cute little kitten playing and its just altogether comical, you feel at least a little bit better. It might even be enough to turn your day around entirely. Well, you can choose to dwell on something good rather than just wait for it to happen. Write down the things you have to be thankful for in life, look at fun pictures or meditate on a happy memory. Get outside, read some jokes, watch a funny show, whatever.  

I think that's what David was doing here. I have heard a lot of references to David being a sort of bi-polar guy. manically happy in one psalm and then at the bottom of the pit of despair in the next. But what if what David was doing, at least in some of these, was recalling all the reasons he had to be happy and focusing on those things instead? 

If you read the rest of Psalm 21 its thirteen verses of reason's David has to be rejoicing, all attributed to God:

• strength
• salvation
• heart's desire
• crown of pure gold
• life
• glory through God's salvation
• honor
• majesty
• mercy
• trust
• defense from enemies 

David had a lot of reasons to be down- he was under attack, he was hated, he had a huge responsibility, he messed up quite a bit. He could have easily focused on that and on the enemies in his life. Instead he looked at what God had given him, what God could do and had done and he declared that through song. I am guessing he sang it until the truth sunk in and his heart REALLY rejoiced :) simply awesome.

Psalm 21:13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power. (NKJ)