Whatever Happened To Joy?

ISAIAH 12
And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.
And in that day you will say:
“Praise the LORD, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
Sing to the LORD,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”

This meditation comes from David Wilkerson, whose book ‘The Cross and The Switchblade’ told his early story and how The Lord took him to New York to work in a street ministry to desperate and troubled young people

David Wilkerson is one who is able to reach right to the heart of Scripture and (very much like Oswald Chambers), uncover the deeper truth of God’s Word. Wilkerson died in 2011, as a result of a car accident. On the morning of his death, he posted on his daily devotional blog, ‘To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights, and in the darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, “I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will make sense. You will see that it is all part of My plan. It was no accident.”’

The Holy Spirit yearns to bring God’s people back to serving the Lord with joy and gladness. How grieved heaven must be to witness the wet blanket of despair and sadness that has fallen upon multitudes of believers.
The psalmist declared, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15).
Isaiah said, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3).
When the Holy Spirit began to deal with me on the matter of serving Him with joy, I had a difficult time facing the seriousness of the subject. I did not fully understand God’s attitude and joy’s importance compared to all the heartbreaking problems present in the world today.
Few Christians have the knowledge of the truth about liberty and the life-freeing sacrifice at Calvary. They have never allowed the cross to set them free from all fear and bondage. We cannot rejoice and be exceedingly glad in our relationship with the Lord when we have a poor or limited knowledge of what happened at the cross.
It is not necessary to understand everything in order to live joyfully unto the Lord. But you do need to know this one foundational truth: God was completely satisfied with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It was all that was needed! God now willingly, joyfully forgives all who repent.
Let the Spirit give you an understanding of the truth that we are called to liberty. God wants us to have an abundance of a full and complete joy—pressed down and running over!
God’s Word makes it perfectly clear that He yearns to be enjoyed by His saints: “that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves” (John 17:13). “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).

DAVID WILKERSON ‘God Is Faithful’

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‘Meditate on these things’

PSALM 144:11-15 AMPC
Rescue me and deliver me out of the power of [hostile] alien [tribes] whose mouths speak deceit and whose right hands are right hands [raised in taking] fraudulent oaths.
When our sons shall be as plants grown large in their youth and our daughters as sculptured corner pillars hewn like those of a palace;
When our garners are full, affording all manner of store, and our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our pastures;
When our oxen are well loaded; when there is no invasion [of hostile armies] and no going forth [against besiegers—when there is no murder or manslaughter] and no outcry in our streets;
Happy and blessed are the people who are in such a case; yes, happy (blessed, fortunate, prosperous, to be envied) are the people whose God is the Lord!

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‘Give Me Joy In My Heart’ — David Parkes

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A HOLY OCCUPATION: Oswald Chambers on PRAYER
— requires CHILDLIKENESS--

When we pray in the Holy Spirit, we bring to God the things that come quite naturally to our minds, and the Holy Spirit, Who intercedes for the saints according to the Will of God, enables God to answer the prayer He Himelf prays in your bodily temple and mine — that we may be the children of our Father which is in heaven. The Holy Spirit cannot delight in our wisdom; it is the wisdom of God He delights in.
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’]

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