We Are Glad
The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.
— Psalm 126:3
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The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
— Kahlil Gibran
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When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
— Isaiah 43:2
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I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord…
May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’
— Psalm 40:1-3, 16
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Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts, but with scarcely any reference to the mercy and help that God has provided them.
But a Christian whose soul is in a healthy state will come forward joyously and say, ‘I will not speak about myself, but to the honor of my God. He has brought me out of a horrible pit and out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings; and He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God. The Lord has done great things for me — I am glad.’ This summary of experience is the very best that any child of God can present.
It is true that we endure trials, but it is just as true that we are delivered out of them. It is true that we have our corruptions, and sadly we acknowledge this, but it is just as true that we have an all-sufficient Savior who overcomes these corruptions and delivers us from their dominion. In looking back, it would be wrong to deny that we have been in the Slough of Despond and have crept along the Valley of Humiliation, but it would be equally wicked to forget that we have been through them safely and profitably; we have not remained in them, thanks to our Almighty Helper and Leader, who has ‘brought us out to a place of abundance.’
The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God, who has led us through them all and preserved us until today. Our griefs cannot spoil the melody of our praise; we consider them to be the ‘bass line’ of our life’s song, ‘The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.’
– Morning and Evening (June 9th - Morning), C. H. Spurgeon
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For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out of the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.’
— Deuteronomy 8:7-10
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Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies come cringing to You. All the earth worships You and sings praises to You; they sing praises to Your name.’ Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot…
Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For You, O God, have tested us; You have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; You laid a crushing burden on our backs; You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance.
— Psalm 66:1-6, 8-12
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What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us All Things?
— Romans 8:31-32
O, beloved!
It’s so easy to dwell on the continual conflicts, the deep afflictions, the sad adversities, the sinfulness of our hearts, isn’t it? (gentle) For much of our lives we feel like we’re stumbling aimlessly around in the dark here, a veil over our faces, barely able to perceive Truth and Beauty and Love through the pain and heartache common to man in this vast wilderness. We get tunnel vision, caught up in ourselves. We feel the Carver’s knife on our hearts, whittling away; we know the intense heat of the Potter’s oven, proving us - and our minds quickly go to how much it all hurts. The cutting, the fire, the wandering.
But beloved? The cup that was burned was meant to hold wine - a Feast! The lute that was hollowed was meant to soothe our spirits - a Song! And all that seemingly aimless wandering — it was meant to lead us to a good land, a land in which we will lack nothing - a Home! Yes, ‘we went through fire and through water; yet [He has] brought us out to a place of abundance!’
And what shall be our response, beloved?
Are we not exceedingly glad? Exceedingly grateful? Desiring to sing all the louder, praise Him all the more fervently? For in the intimate knowledge of such grief and despair and longing, has He not carved out the capacity in us for an even greater, fuller joy?
Our Lord, He has not just barely saved us, not just been vaguely near us in some ‘spiritualized’ way during our sojourn here. He has not just given us health and wealth and a comfortable life, nor has He just haphazardly written our names down in some book to make sure we get to go to heaven someday. No, beloved - no! How much more He has done! How much more He has given!
We who were living in darkness, He has graciously given Light! We who were covered in dirt and grime and filth, He has washed clean in the living Water! We who were dead in our sins, He has miraculously breathed new Life into! We who were lost are now Found! We who were poor are now Rich! We who were naked are now Clothed! We were cursed and are now Blessed; we were prisoners and are now Free; we were hungry and are now Full; we were doomed to eternal suffering and are now undeservedly granted Eternal Glory!
O, beloved! Do you see why we must not live in the valley of despair here? (gentle) Why we must not let the Enemy divert our eyes from all that our Father has already given, has already promised? ‘The Lord has done great things for us!’ Not little things, not meaningless things, not things that are only relevant once we are with Him fully. He has graciously given us All Things! Already! Even now! Every. Last. Thing. Is. Ours. In. Him. (beyond amazed)
O, beloved! ‘Our griefs cannot spoil the melody of our praise!’ Oh no! Because of our grief, because of the Ache, we sing all the louder, with all the more fervor and passion and determination! Our longing for Him is increased, we seek Him all the more! That which has given us sorrow, now gives us joy, beloved - and, Together, we are glad.