Joy in the Car. Wednesday Morning.
It hit me like a ton of bricks: I've got no reason NOT to be full of joy. It's not like I just discovered this, but I was listening to my God's House CD in my car and one of the tracks is a reading of Psalm 103. It's followed by the David Crowder song, "You're Everything" and I was totally affected by God's presence. In the car. On the 5 freeway. He was there. It was cool. A few lines from Psalm 103 really affected me. God satisfies my desires with good things, it says. He doesn't accuse me and he never holds a grudge against me. The Lord has ransomed me from hell. All of that and more in the Psalm. Then comes the song, "You're everything I could want, that I could need." I'm thinking do I believe that? Yes. Do I act like that? Sometimes? Never? Mostly not? Once in a while. The chorus lays me out:
raise me up from this grave
touch my tongue
and then I'll sing
heal my limbs
then joyfully I'll run to you
"My grave is my attitude," comes to mind. He's raised me from it. Again and again. And again. I confess, "If God has touched my tongue and he has, I wouldn't say much of the things I do." Yes, my limbs are healed and then "joyfully" catches me. It slams me. I think, "Philippians 4:4 dude."
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice!"
Always be full of joy. Rejoice.
Now I'm thinking, Paul wrote those words. Easy for him. He saw Christ on the Road to Damascus! Me, I'm stressed. Work. Report cards. Family. Illnesses. Finances. Too many activities, too little time.
Paul didn't have those things! Oh, yea, he also wrote of his many reasons to be full of joy in 2 Corinthians, the eleventh chapter: hard work; put in jail often; whipped many times; faced death; received 39 lashes, five times; beaten with rods three times; stoned (not the kind like me); shipwrecked several times; floods; robbers; stormy seas; weariness; pain; sleepless nights; been cold and lacked warm clothes; maybe the worst, a daily burden of worrying about people he loved; and, just in case I can't relate, he caps it off saying he's burned with anger!
Yet, this same man writes: "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." That secret? It's Jesus Christ! The Christ Paul met on the road to Damascus. The Christ I met in the same way on McFadden St. in Huntington Beach.
So, I dig down deep and guess what I find? Joy!
Tears come.
What a blessed life I have.
The song is ending now:
You're everything
I'm alive and I'll sing
I'm alive and I'm free
Indeed, I Am.
raise me up from this grave
touch my tongue
and then I'll sing
heal my limbs
then joyfully I'll run to you
"My grave is my attitude," comes to mind. He's raised me from it. Again and again. And again. I confess, "If God has touched my tongue and he has, I wouldn't say much of the things I do." Yes, my limbs are healed and then "joyfully" catches me. It slams me. I think, "Philippians 4:4 dude."
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice!"
Always be full of joy. Rejoice.
Now I'm thinking, Paul wrote those words. Easy for him. He saw Christ on the Road to Damascus! Me, I'm stressed. Work. Report cards. Family. Illnesses. Finances. Too many activities, too little time.
Paul didn't have those things! Oh, yea, he also wrote of his many reasons to be full of joy in 2 Corinthians, the eleventh chapter: hard work; put in jail often; whipped many times; faced death; received 39 lashes, five times; beaten with rods three times; stoned (not the kind like me); shipwrecked several times; floods; robbers; stormy seas; weariness; pain; sleepless nights; been cold and lacked warm clothes; maybe the worst, a daily burden of worrying about people he loved; and, just in case I can't relate, he caps it off saying he's burned with anger!
Yet, this same man writes: "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." That secret? It's Jesus Christ! The Christ Paul met on the road to Damascus. The Christ I met in the same way on McFadden St. in Huntington Beach.
So, I dig down deep and guess what I find? Joy!
Tears come.
What a blessed life I have.
The song is ending now:
You're everything
I'm alive and I'll sing
I'm alive and I'm free
Indeed, I Am.
posted by Doah at 7:32 AM
1 Comments:
Dude, I am happy that you found that moment to be in. I wish I could have had that same experience on the 5 yesterday, however I think I had the 'pre-conversion' Paul in a white Toyota on my ass hurling objects at my car. Need to go re-read you post again to get perspective.
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