Joy Comes in the Morning

“And now let us welcome the New Year
Full of things that have never been.”
Rainer Maria Rilke

I enjoy new beginnings. I like fresh starts. I embrace the idea of celebrating at every opportunity.

There’s often a large amount of planning that goes into welcoming January 1st each year. Invitations are giving. Decorations displayed. Party favours purchased. Special trays of goodies are prepared. We bid goodbye to the old year and anticipate the new with a spirit of remembrance and joy. For some this past year has held untold heartache. Losses that will remain until eternity. For others its been a year of challenge and growth. My heart holds so many treasured moments from 2008. Part of me doesn’t want to let go. Part of me wants to cling to the year that brought so much joy. Times of such breathtaking delight in my Saviour. Knowing His nearness. Embracing His promises. Abandoning fear and stepping out in faith. Seeing dreams come true. Hearing God speak. New friends who have become so precious that my heart can barely contain the happiness, that with even just the slightest thought of them my eyes are swimming in uncontained fountains of sentiment as they are more precious to me than gold.

This year as our family experienced some uncertainties over the holidays, both with my husbands employment situation and health challenges that I was facing, the Lord opened my eyes afresh to the gift of life He gives us each day. Every day should be a time of rejoicing. Each moment is a present to be treasured. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. As we enter this New Year, it is my desire to make it a year of praise.

Praise does not always come easily. Some days my heart is so overwhelmed with God’s goodness and grace that praise comes naturally. It is the response of all being right, well and good in my corner of the world. At other times I understand only too well that we are also called to offer a ‘sacrifice of praise’ (Hebrews 13:15). Praising God has absolutely nothing to do with circumstances. A heart filled with praise and worship comes from looking into the face of God and knowing He’s all I ever need. He alone is worthy of my praise! “In His presence there is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11b

To cultivate a heart of praise, I need to spend daily time with God. This year as I join many of my friends in reading through a chronological Bible over the course of the next twelve months, I want to allow Christ to probe every part of my heart. I desire that Christ have control of every detail. I don’t want to treat any part of His Word as familiar. Recently I was reading a passage that contained a verse I had memorized years ago, and as I skipped over it quickly to continue my reading, suddenly it hit me. I was treating the ultra-holy as ordinary. The power of God’s Word had lost it’s importance. I was skimming instead of savouring every line, phrase, word. I pray the Lord will draw my attention to every Word in His love letter to me and my reverence for Him will deepen. May nothing seem too small or insignificant.

Let’s celebrate each day and know that God is with us. He holds all the plans for our future and we can trust Him. His plans for us are good and He desires to give us a hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11).

I’m praising Him today - not for what He has done or is doing, but for who He is!

“Whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy …” Philippians 3:1 (NLT)

May His will be mine in 2009.

Happy New Year,
With love and prayers.

(For any of you interested, this year, on my other blog, "Pondering in His Presence", as a method of accountability for me, I will be writing a daily post as I read through a chronological Bible over the next 364 days. Join me if God gives you that desire.)