Saturday, March 13, 2010

Shout Aloud For Joy

"Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright (Ps. 33:1 KJV)."

Rejoice In the Lord
To rejoice in something is to have great joy or delight in it. This is the definition given by Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. The word rejoice used in this Bible verse is from a primitive Hebrew root meaning to shout aloud for joy.

Christians are supposed to be a happy bunch. Sometimes we are and sometimes we're not. The Word tells us the kingdom of heaven is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Ro. 14:17). Yes, Christians should be a happy bunch, rejoicing, or shouting aloud for joy.

What would cause Christians to be so happy? No matter what we face or endure while living in this flesh, we do hope we shall one day see the Lord Jesus Christ as he is and we'll be like him (1Jn. 3:2). This is a good reason to shout aloud for joy.

One day we will be before the throne of God. We will serve him in his temple day and night. We'll never again hunger or thirst for anything. We'll not get too hot or burnt by the sun. One day, the Lamb will feed us. One day, the Lamb will lead us to living fountains of waters. Notice the plural form, waters. One day, God will wipe away all of our tears (Rev. 7:15-17). Yes, we Christians possess good reason to shout aloud for joy!

Praise Is Comely
The word translated praise in this Bible verse means praise, specifically a hymn of praise. The word comely means suitable or beautiful. This word is derived from two root words, one meaning beautiful and the other meaning to rest at home through the implied idea of beauty.

We sing hymns of praise to God because it's suitable and beautiful for us to do so. The deeper meaning of this Bible verse is we can find rest for our weary souls when we offer up praises, when we shout aloud for joy, to our God. This explains why we feel so good and refreshed after a serious period of giving praise and worship to God.

Who would've thought there was rest in worship? Shout aloud for joy, you who are righteous. Sing aloud for joy, you who are in a right relationship with your God. It is fitting and it is beautiful for you to do so. Come all and find beauty. Come all and find rest in singing hyms of praise to our God. God bless...

No comments:

Post a Comment