The Joy of the Lord (7)

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! Psalm 32.11

Words of joy
We must not underestimate the power of words for bringing us into the joy of the Lord. This is why so many of the psalms contain exhortations to rejoice and reminders of why we should. This is why Jesus spoke to His disciples, and why the apostles wrote to their fellow believers. Words fitly spoken can prime our hearts to let the joy of the Lord well up and overflow.

Long after the awakening fires of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD) had cooled, leaders of the Irish Church looked for ways to recover some of the spiritual vitality, fervor, and joy that characterized that period. They wrote litanies for use in personal and corporate worship, poems of invocation, confession, longing, and praise, which tapped into the riches of Scripture, the memories of their Celtic Christian forebears, and their own desire for the joy of the Lord. These litanies offer powerful words of worship and joy, and reading them can open a spigot for the joy of the Lord to flow in our hearts.

A litany of joy
However, these wonderful litanies are not readily available, nor would they be readily understood without some background knowledge of the period of Celtic Christianity.

Still, the idea of such a litany, scripted to lead us into the joy of the Lord, strikes me as a worthwhile project. So to conclude our series on the joy of the Lord – and our study on keeping the heart with all diligence – I offer a contemporary “Litany of Joy”, which you may feel free to use in entering the sustaining joy of the Lord:

God Almighty, Whom to fear is
    right, and just what You command –
Father, Word, and Holy Spirit,
    let me in Your presence stand.
In this vale of tears I seek You,
    there where sin does not alloy.
Hear, Lord! Grant me leave to speak to
    You, Who dwell in boundless joy.

There You know eternal gladness,
    Three in One forever blessed.
Here we walk in tears and sadness,
    from our troubles seeking rest.
Draw me, woo me, touch and lift me,
   o’er life’s burdens gently buoy.
Though all foes would shake and sift me,
   fill me with Your constant joy!

Jesus, You rejoiced in sorrow,
    looking toward Your great reward.
Tears will all be gone tomorrow
    in the bosom of the Lord.
Let me know Your constant presence,
    strong, bright angels, Lord, deploy,
bearing with them just the essence
    of Your never-ending joy!

Now You reign in joyous rapture,
    saints and angels all around!
My soul let Your Spirit capture,
   in Your love securely bound!
Let me with that joyous throng be
   ever found in Your employ;
let my every prayer and song be
   filled with Your abounding joy!

Joy to know! Now bursts my heart to
    fill the world with Your great Name!
Joy unbounded to impart to
    all who would Your praise proclaim!
Joyous shouting, joyous singing,
    joyous praise would I deploy,
thus Your great salvation bringing
    and with it Your boundless joy!

And in case singing is for you a cherished means of expressing the joy of the Lord, you can sing this litany of joy to the tune of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” (“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”).

May the joy of the Lord abound in you today and always!

For reflection
1.  What are your favorite passages of Scripture for expressing the joy of the Lord?

2.  What can keep you from knowing the joy of the Lord each day? How can you prepare to overcome those obstacles by rejoicing in the Lord?

3.  What suggestions can you offer for knowing the joy of the Lord more deeply and consistently?

Next steps – Transformation: Use the “Litany of Joy” in today’s study for the next several days. Does this help you know more of the joy of the Lord? Do you find your joy increasing as you express it?

T. M. Moore

This is the final part of or 8-part series on Keeping the Heart. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here.

The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute buttonat the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Where do the heart, mind, and conscience – which together comprise the soul – fit in our Christian worldview? Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, shows you how to understand the workings of your soul in relation to all other aspects of your life in Christ. For more information and to register, click here.

Jesus the Joy Bringer calls us to be bringers of joy. Read all about it in our booklet, Joy to Your World!Order your copy by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved