Daily Delight
“Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” -Isaiah 12:6
It can be easy to sing and shout when we see God using us in mighty ways, but this verse and God’s joy aren’t limited to mountain-top moments. We are called to sing for joy in our everyday lives. Whether changing diapers, or leading a staff of 50, God’s joy is always available.
One key to cultivating this amazing gift of joy comes from understanding the significance of the ordinary. For example, we may look at David and think: “What a mighty man, brave warrior and friend of God!”, but there was a time when he just was the scrawny youngest son of Jesse, tending the sheep once his brothers outgrew the chore.We don’t typically think that when we hear David’s name because we have more of the story. We know that his time as a lanky kid wasn’t wasted. God was preparing him for all that was to come. He couldn’t have defeated Goliath if he hadn’t first defeated the lions. He couldn’t have calmed Saul if he hadn’t spent so many afternoons alone in the fields, practicing his lyre. He may not have remained a man after God’s heart if he hadn’t learned to walk with the Holy One in his ordinary life.Do you think David understood the far-reaching implications of his choices while he tracked down a roaming lamb or when he caught the sight and smell of himself each evening?But what would have happened if he hadn’t invested in what God had given him while he waited for life to “really begin”? Today may not feel significant. You may not be able to see transformation or have new revelation, but know that today matters and the Holy One of Israel is at work through it all! There is as much purpose in the monotony as in the extraordinary. His plans for you are not left to chance, but are especially designed for you, the daughter that He loves.There is reason to sing and shout, beloved! Don’t postpone joy for the exceptional, but choose joy in the ordinary!
About the Author
Jessica Hendrick
Jessica lives in Chesapeake, VA with her husband, Bryan, and their two young children, Jack & Jane. Never in a million years would she have thought after getting her Masters in Counseling and studying Biofeedback that she would forego job applications and become a stay-at-home mom, but God revealed the true desire of her heart that year.