What is joy? Is it a feeling? An attitude? An emotion? Is it something we “get” or “discover,” perhaps “find” or “inherit” from another or “locate” traveling on the road of life? Is it temporary or permanent? Can it be passed from one person to another? Is it internal or external? Is it possible it could be all of the above?
Things were not going well for Moses. He knew that something was missing in the lives of the people following hie leadership and he knew what it was: joy. They had been through difficult days and trying times. They grumbled and groaned and griped. They were critical of their conditions and angry with God. Why, they wondered, did they leave what they had for something they had been promised but could not find. They were disenchanted and discouraged.
So, Moses, the man of God, knew what to do: He went to God in prayer. “Relent, O Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
Moses reminded God that He was a God filled with unfailing love. In earnestness he begged God to “show-up” and prove His compassion by relenting. So, he prayed: “fill our empty hearts with a renewed awareness of Your unfailing love.” Moses knew that only God could restore the “joy of His salvation” and the blessings that repentance and restoration could.
Often we become like the Israelites - wanting God’s blessings without being faithful to Him. Hearts once filled with joy become empty because of disobedience!
Prayer: Lord, if we lose the joy of Your salvation may we understand that it is because of our sins. Forgive and restore us and keep us faithful! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: Psalm 90:13: Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
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