“God had given them great joy”. (v.43)
After months of hard work despite opposition, the wall of Jerusalem
was rebuilt. At the dedication of the wall, the Levites celebrate with gladness, with hymns
of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment
of cymbals, harps and lyres (v.27). And, "the
singers sang loudly, for God had given them great joy, so that the joy of
Jerusalem was heard afar off" (vv.42-43).
Pure joy does not center on our circumstances, nor can it be
contained. It must break out in praise to God for what He has done for us. Each
new day gives us new reasons to sing praises to His name. Yes, the people did
the work, but God gave them the wisdom and the strength to finish the wall amid
intense opposition, and filled them with such great joy, and thankful hearts,
that no expression of praise was left out.
Take a moment and thank the Lord for the works He has completed
in your life, and thank Him for “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17).
The Truth:
Make a
joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the
Lord with gladness;
Come
before His presence with singing.
Know that
the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has
made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter
into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be
thankful to Him, and bless His
name.
For the
Lord is good;
His mercy
is everlasting,
And His
truth endures to all
generations. (Psalm 100)
