ICS Daily Devotions
Rejoice in the Lord
Habakkuk 3:18 (NKJV) Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
“Rejoice” (01523) (gîyl/gûl) is derived from a root word which means “to spin round” (under the influence of any violent emotion) – Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. It is also from which such ideas like “to circle in joy” are readily derived. It is more applicable to vigorous, enthusiastic expressions of joy. Therefore, it is not surprising that most of its usage are in the psalms (songs) which means to rejoice or be glad.
It should be everyone’s conscious decision to praise God regardless of our feelings, moods and circumstances. Habakkuk made a conscious decision to rejoice and praise God despite the trees not having any figs, the labour in the land was futile and the herds were not producing anything!
We do not need to be conscious about who is with us when we are worshipping at home. We can let our hair down and shout for JOY!! Say out loud, “I choose joy and to rejoice in the Lord. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever. Some will trust in chariots, others in their horses, some in their companies and their strategies BUT I will choose to trust in the Lord. I refuse to be moved by what I see, what I hear and what I experience because my faith is in the Lord!”.
We normally start with vibrant praise during the start of the praise and worship session.
We lift up holy hands to honour and praise Him. We clap our hands and dance for joy.
Psalm 100:4 (NKJV) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 34:1-3(NKJV)…. I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Sometimes, we really do not feel like praising because we are disappointed and feel let down. We are weary and striving. We are focusing on the problem and it seems to overwhelm us. All the more, we need to praise God so that we can shift our focus from the problem to God. It is really a choice that we make to praise God! Often, we make the mistake of not participating in the Praise and Worship segments at church, or we will skip the Praise and Worship portions during the online services and go straight to the sermons. It is one of the greatest mistakes that we can ever make because the whole service is all about God. We worship to the audience of One.
Use our voice as a trumpet to sound forth the blessings of the Lord.
Praise is Declaring the goodness of the Lord.
Praise is Declaring the victory of the Lord
Praise is Declaring the faithfulness of the Lord.
Praise is Declaring the greatness of the Lord.
Sermon Series: What to Do When You Do Not Know What to Do
