Then Sings My Soul

February 9, 2026 AdminLeave a comment

Hebrews 12:1-4

Have you ever watched a bubbling brook? How picturesque the tiny rainbows glistening in the spray! What causes the water to bounce and froth? The water is hitting some obstacle. When your life has hit against some rocks does the reaction causes a thousand little rainbows to impact your world with beauty. The hymnist wrote “Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee – How great Thou art!”

When life is hard, and disappointment turns into pain, does the joy of Jesus fill your soul with song? The Bible tells us that the author and finisher [completer] of our faith endured the greatest public shame with joy, because what He went through offered hope to everyone on the planet, then as well as two thousand years later (Hebrews 12:2).

It’s interesting the words the author of Hebrews uses. Not many of us would consider taking up our cross and scorning its shame as joyous, but that is just what Jesus did for you and me. We are called to be like Him in our response to those difficulties which life so often throws at us. Most of us have not resisted trouble to the point of shedding our blood (12:4). We are called to look at hardship as a discipline, not punishment, but rather training in righteous living.

The rainbows resulting make our world a better place. We all know those whose attitude destroys the small graces often found in the midst of trouble. How much sweeter does the love of Jesus make our choices in such moments? And it is a choice. Jesus made the will of His father the goal of His life. He found joy in pleasing His Father. There is no greater thing than that, as we know, who have experienced His peace in the center of our earthly storms.

Joy comes from looking outward; how sad it is to see people who function happily, only in the moment of self-indulgence. That sort of feeling is so very fleeting. It is never enough, but basking in the opportunities to please God by helping others brings a song to our lips! This is when we really “taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8)

And that song brings glory to our Creator, Redeemer and friend! Immediately our hearts unite because it is the will of God, our Father, to provide for the needs of others through the riches we have experienced of grace, mercy and forgiveness. Then our souls are free to worship in the spirit of holiness, clothed in the righteousness of Christ’s abiding love! Then sings my soul!

Reflection:

How often do we look for externals to create a spirit of happiness? If I only had….? If I were just a bit older? Younger? If I had health and strength think what service I could offer to God. Many years ago I learned that God Himself equips us to do His will. Therefore, circumstances don’t need to alter in order for me to have a joyful song, to celebrate love, peace and hope. I worship God by grasping the opportunities of this moment, today. How sad and actually wasteful it is to live life expecting changes that we think will equip us for acts of mercy, in a spirit of encouragement.

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7b, 8a). Then sings my soul!

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The Joy of the Lord

April 25, 2021 AdminLeave a comment

Nehemiah 8:1-12

It had been a very long time since the Israelites had worshiped God, as a nation, in Jerusalem. In 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar had taken the Jews captive to Babylon. In 539 Cyrus overthrew Babylon and as was his custom , he encouraged expats to return to their homelands. Fifty thousand Jews returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel, to rebuild their temple, although it was not finished until more than 20 years later, under the reign of Darius.

Meanwhile Nehemiah was moved by God to return to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The book of Nehemiah reveals the heart of a man of prayer! Through opposition from within and without, he persevered , faithful to God’s calling upon his life. The nation was blessed by this one man and in our chapter we find them gathered, at last, to worship God. Ezra the priest brought the book of the law; in the spirit of renewal these people were once again touched by the words of God.

We would hardly think of rules and regulations as something worthy of worship, but it was so much more than that…the law demonstrated God’s love! How much He cared for every detail of each person’s life! How often is the God of the Old Testament seen as a God of wrath and yet He was so very longsuffering, faithful to His covenant of love! (Nehemiah 1:5). We find these same qualities in the God we worship today. How longsuffering is He with a church that is lukewarm, casual in its worship?

These people, coming out of loss, hardship and suffering had much to worship God for! They stood with hands raised towards heaven out of reverence for the scriptures Ezra was reading (Nehemiah 8:5). They stood for hours while the words of God were read and discussed. The Levites were eager to make sure they understood the law (:8). Then the people “bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground” (:6). As we lounge in padded seats with our coffee during church, how does our body language speak to God of our enthusiasm for His Word?

The Israelites were celebrating the privilege they had lost! Their hearts were deeply stirred! At last the joy of the Lord, described by Nehemiah himself, “is your strength” (:10)! Celebrate without grieving; he urged them not to weep (:9,10). This was a new season of joy. The time, which Solomon later referred to for weeping, had passed. Now it was time for “great joy” (:12, 17), to honour the greatness of their God, and all that He had done to restore them to fellowship with Himself!

Jesus came to restore our fellowship with God, sent by the Father in heaven to suffer and die on our behalf – yours and mine. As we celebrate Easter, Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection let us not forget that joy does not require the absence of pain. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Reflection:

The Israelites had been disciplined by God who must remain true to His word. He had warned them repeatedly about their rebellious hearts, their unfaithfulness to Him as they turned to worship idols. Had they taken Him seriously? Do we today take God at His word? Why do we believe that a loving God will not also be just? He must be true to His character and so, let us question if it is possible we stand at the edge of a precipice, inviting His discipline, even His wrath, by the way we treat His law? His goal is to give us joy born out of freedom from sin! It is our joy that is contagious as we seek to win others to our Lord Jesus Christ. The early church welcomed the gospel message with great joy (1 Thessalonians 1:6). It is joy in the Lord which keeps us from sin.

Perhaps you would like to do a personal study on the number of situations in which joy is mentioned in both Old and New Testaments!

by Marilyn Daniels (MarilynDaniels.net)

John’s Joy!

June 9, 2019June 9, 2019 AdminLeave a comment

joy painting brush — Photo by Bekka Mongeau on Pexels.com

John 1:1-7

The Apostle John is excited! His joy overflows as he writes. All the way down through the history of the Church, even into the twenty-first century, we recognize the source of John’s enthusiasm, from his introductory words.

He is writing to his “dear children” (2:1)…..children of the faith who have responded to the message that he declares in verses 5-7. It is a message about light. Jesus Himself claimed to be “the light” (John 8:12) in a world darkened by sin.

Turning back to John’s introduction: This specific “Light” existed from the beginning. Yet John had seen the Light with his own eyes. He had walked and talked with this man famous for preaching, teaching and healing. Did he recognize the challenges Jesus would send into the faith community of John’s day?

Standing at the foot of the cross, seeing all of his hopes for future ministry with Jesus nailed to a cross, what were John’s thoughts? Now his perspective has obviously changed! The “Life” had appeared! Jesus claimed to be the “Life” (John 14:6). John describes a distinguishing factor about that “life”….it is eternal (1 John 1:2). That phrase “eternal life” wasn’t familiar to Jewish worshipers. In the Old Testament God is described as eternal (Genesis 21:33); His love is an eternal blessing(Psalm 21:6-7). Daniel even makes reference to God’s eternal kingdom (4:3) but what that meant was rather vague.

Twice John’s excitement causes him to proclaim that which he is intimately acquainted with. He knew Jesus, the man, but now the resurrection revealed His glorious deity! All that the disciples had seen and heard must be preached “so that you also may have fellowship with us” (:3). Imagine – our identity as believers means we are in fellowship with those very disciples who walked and talked with Jesus.

Listen to Jesus’ prayer, recorded by John: “My prayer is not for them alone (the disciples of his day). I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message (you and me), that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have Sent Me” (John 17:20-21). This is the Kingdom of God in all its reality, formed through centuries of time! No wonder John is excited! Eternal life, in Jesus Christ our Lord, is as present today as it was 2000 years ago, making us one in the body of Christ.

Reflection:

Meditate on Jesus’ words:

“In Him (Jesus) was life and that life was the light of men” John 1:4)

Does your heart resonate with John’s joy?

by Marilyn Daniels. http://www.marilyndaniels.net