Have you ever lost your joy?

Written by Donna Butler

Psalm 132:7-9
Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool! Arise, O Lord, and go to Your resting place, You and the ark of You might.  Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints shout for joy!

Have you ever lost your joy? What got you threw you off? And, how do you plan to get it back?

That’s a lot to think about! 

Psalm 132 gives us the answer that is repeated throughout God’s word. 

First step, we must go to His dwelling place and worship at His footstool.  As simple as that sounds, it is sometimes difficult to do.  When we feel lost or discouraged, worshiping is not our initial response.  But, in order for God to do His part, we must do ours. Yes, God can do anything... Which includes giving us free-will! So, we must be open and truthful with Him.  John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and the people who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” You may come yelling and screaming, sobbing, whispering, or just telling God how angry, disappointed, frustrated, or hurt you truly are with Him…but that’s the truth. He hears our heart, whatever state we are in, we must let down any façade or pretense. “…A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).  As we go into His resting place (in prayer), He promises to give us rest (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Have you ever tried to dress a child that doesn’t want to be dressed? This is another reason that we must surrender. As we humble ourselves, God takes the next step. He begins the process of clothing us in His righteousness. In royalty, or “Bend the knee” if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you are awarded privileges and special rights when you submit to the authority. When the king speaks over you, everyone knows that you have been identified in kinship with royalty by a crown, robe, or emblem. Psalm 132 declares that we are clothed with His righteousness. We no longer march in a self-declared righteousness, which is useless in spiritual battle. But, the enemy now sees the royal banner and we can shout with JOY! We have protection and the reinforcements of the royal army! 

God has never left you or forgotten you. He is waiting, longing for you to come to His resting place. He wants to help you take off all those heavy burdens, the should haves, would haves, and want to’s, and give you a peace that surpasses all understanding.  
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Dear God, I need You! I have lost my joy and my peace. Help me to remember that You, O Lord, have an unlimited supply! Help me to put down my pride, anger, and unforgiveness to receive all that You have for me.  I’m only as far away as a prayer. Thank You for never giving up on me!