I Can't Help It
By Charles C Jones
Psalm 126:3
The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad Psalm 126:3
Some People Ask Why Are You So Full Of Joy?
Why Are We So Joyful?
That''s a mystery to those outside of our faith. Whether we enjoy the best of health or whether we are lying in a sick bed, the Christian has a right to always be joyful.
Gladness however, appears to come from the outside. It is a cousin of joy but is usually associated with a condition or circumstance whose outcome is favorable. If a Christian is beset by a misfortune he may rejoice despite his misfortune but he may not be glad about it.
A plane crashes or car wrecks and loved ones are injured, a Christian will remain joyful in the Lord, but won''t be glad about it. Gladness seems to depend on a circumstance that is positive, while joy is independent of any circumstance.
During a time of praise and thanksgiving, there is both joy and gladness. Those who know the Lord rejoice in his goodness and at the same time are glad for the great blessings he has demonstrated.
As Christians, we face each new day with a spirit of joyfulness. We know that whatever happens, our God is able to deliver us. That makes us glad. Today, face the unknown with a spirit of gladness. God will make you glad.
David had sufficient reason to be glad.
His life was filled with outward signs of God''s blessing hand. From his rise to reign as king from a mere shepherd boy to his powerful command of the armies of Israel, David had plenty to be glad about. David pointed out in this text that the source of his gladness is the goodness of the Lord.
This is the source of his great expressions of gladness which ranged from dancing in the street when he brought home the Ark of the Covenant or writing songs of praise. Gladness was a way of life with David. In this psalm David expresses gladness that God returned Israel from its captivity and brought laughter and joy to its lips instead of sorrow. Even the enemies of the nation, described as the heathen took note of how God blessed them.
David lifted God in praise for his blessings and urged the nation to praise God because his actions toward them made him glad. David wrote most of the Psalms. In his praise of God he used three words to express the word glad. Each of his definitions give a clue as to nature of gladness and how it is expressed and understood.
Steps To Staying Joyful - A Can't Help It Praise!
Our Blessings Can Overwhelm Us
There are times when we are overwhelmed at the goodness and mercy of the Lord. This often happens when we achieve a long sought after goal or receive a blessing that we desired but felt unworthy to receive.
When David succeeded in the getting the Ark of the Covenant returned to Israel, he was so excited and happy that he stripped his clothes to his loin cloth and danced naked in the streets, leaping and jumping and shouting with joy.
That''s the way we feel when God has really blessed us. We have to shout.
When the Lord blesses us financially in a way that we did not expect, it''s shouting time!
When a wayward son or daughter starts showing signs of hope, it''s shouting time!
When a unsaved family member finds the Lord, it''s shouting time.
As Jesus came into Jerusalem, his disciples wanted to hush up the crowd but Jesus said, if these hold their peace the rocks would cry out! -Church.... It''s shouting time.
We Celebrate Our Victories
When we reflect on the roads that each of us have traveled yes we see our difficulties and frustrations but we also see our victories, thousands of them, over the frustrations that life has given us. Through it all, it has been God who has helped us withstand all of these troubles.
Our journey is one that has been filled with struggle and difficulty. Whether it has been our ethnic struggle as a people of color or as individuals striving to overcome our personal fights with life threatening situations, we have reason to celebrate because God has helped us to survive our difficulty and even to escape death itself.
When our world was turned upside down by tragic events God''s grace kept us from becoming cynical and disillusioned with life.
When we witnessed how evil some people can be, His love helped us to keep loving others despite the fact that there are some who are hard to love.
When failure was all around us, God''s constant encouragement pushed us to "run and see what the end would be."
We celebrate because we know that God will never forsake us or leave us alone,.
We celebrate because God has shown us His great faithfulness. No wonder the song writer declared: "Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hands hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."
The Theology of "Rejoice"
The word rejoice is used in the text differentiating it from the word "joy" which is used in the same verse.
The "pre" prefix usually means that something is about to be done again.
To repeat is to do the same thing again.
To remix is to take the same elements, shuffle them, and do them again.
To recite is to give an oral account again.
To remember is to call up stored information for current use.
To reenter is to enter again.
To "Re" anything means we are going to do it one more time.
So, when Habakkuk said he would rejoice it means that he will have the same amount of joy in the present that he once had at some point in the past.
In Habakkuk 3:18 he says he will rejoice and joy in the Lord. This is the theology of rejoicing. It''s the idea of celebrating and praising in hard times just as much as we do or more than we did when situations were better.
The difference between the two in this context is a reflection of the circumstance and the hope.
To rejoice in this context, Habakkuk takes into account all of the troubles that Israel faces and uses the word "rejoice" to indicate joy in the midst of tough times, with the same level of intensity and faith that was shown in better times. The latter phrase "I will joy in the God of my salvation" speaks to the present moment.
We can rejoice when we remember how God has blessed us in the past as He brought us to the present.
We can rejoice when see what God has done and is still doing today.
If God has blessed us before, He will bless us again, so we rejoice.
If God has healed us before, He can heal us again, so we rejoice.
If God has lifted us before, He can lift us again, so we rejoice.
We rejoice in the middle of hard times, even before we are delivered.
We don''t have to wait until the battle is over, we can shout now.
Overwhelming Excitement
When God has given us more than we expected there should be an overwhelming excitement.
The woman at the well was given another chance and she was excited. She was so excited that she ran through the city telling all that she met, "Come see a man who told me all that I have ever done." The lame man in this text jumped and leaped for joy He was excited about the goodness of the Lord. In a similar sense, believers who have received more than they expected or requested from God should feel some level of excitement just thinking about the goodness of God.
When the Lord blesses us financially in a way that we did not expect, it''s shouting time!
When a wayward child starts showing signs of hope, it''s shouting time!
When a lost family member finds the Lord, it''s shouting time.
Shout When God Keeps His Word
In Numbers 23:19 Balaam testified that " God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?...God is not a man who lies, what he has promise will come. When they heard that the people shouted like the King of the universe was in their midst. Even today, when we know that God does not lie and neither will his word return to Him void, that gives us something to shout about. When he promises to never leave us alone and guide us through the storms of life, that''s when we have something to shout about.
Because Of Jesus, We Should Be Shouting
When Jesus came into Jerusalem there were a lot of people shouting and there was a whole lot of shouting going on!
Whenever the Lord has done something good for you, there''s a whole lot of shouting going on.
Whenever you think about how God has blessed us, there''s a whole lot of hand waving going on!
Whenever we think about how God has picked us up and turned us around, there''s a whole lot foot patting going!
Whenever we think about how he provides food for us when we are hungry, there''s a who lot of hand clapping going on!
When we think about how he brought us out of nowhere and carried us to somewhere. There''s a whole lot of shouting going on!
We''re shouting because of what he has done.
We''re shouting because of what we expect him to do.
We''re shouting because he''s been to us and we just can''t keep it to ourselves.
I''m reminded of the couple that called the police to report a disturbance in the neighborhood. The couple reported that for the last hour the people in the house next door had been keeping up a noise that made it hard for them to sleep. They requested that the neighbors would be arrested. The officer explained to the neighbors the nature of the complaint and listened as the wife explained.
Well officer, we''re sorry, but we just couldn''t help ourselves. At 10 oclock, we got a call that said our daughter who lives in New York was in a car accident but has survived without a scratch or a scar. We tried to be quiet and my husband and I just hugged each other. She said.
Fifteen minutes later we got a call that my grandson who lives in California is the recipient of an all expense paid scholarship to Harvard University. It was all we could do, just to keep from screaming with joy.
At about 10:30 we got a call that said my other daughter who lives in Detroit had given birth to triplets. Despite complications, all the babies are fine and my daughter is alright. It was all we could do to keep from crying out with happiness and gratitude.
At about 10:45 the phone rang one more time. The doctor reported that my sister, who was in intensive care, had taken a sudden turn for the good. The doctor said he couldn''t explain it, but she was going to be alright. All we could do was shout and stomp and praise the Lord.
The people who complained called the police station and filed another report. We asked you send an officer to stop the noise next door. We expected him to put the handcuffs on our neighbors but he''s running in the front yard yelling praise the Lord! You better send somebody down here, because there''s a whole lot of shouting going on!
I don''t know about you, but there ought to be a lot of shouting going on in the homes of the Saint''s.
Every time you think about the mountains you''ve climbed and the valleys in your way, you ought to feel a shout coming!
He''s been a lawyer in my courtroom! I think I feel a shout coming on!
He''s been a doctor in my sick room! I think I feel a shout coming on!
He''s been a bridge over troubling waters! I think I feel a shout coming on!
He''s still blessing me!
I don''t know about you, but I think I feel a shout coming on!
