Scripture

Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands.

~Isaiah 55:12, NET

Quote

Human voice alone are not sufficient to praise the LORD as He deserves.

~Daniel J. Estes

There is coming a day when all of creation will become a choir and Jesus will be praised not only by creatures but by creation itself. Isaiah 55:12 is not an isolated verse, this theme is chanted throughout scripture… Psalm 96:11-12, Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy. Let the sea and everything in it shout. Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy. Psalm 98:7-9, Let the sea and everything in it shout, along with the world and those who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands! Let the mountains sing in unison before the Lord. For he comes to judge the earth. Psalm 65:13, The meadows are clothed with sheep, and the valleys are covered with grain. They shout joyfully, yes, they sing. Romans 8:19-21, For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. Issac Watts wrote Joy To The World from inspiration he received from his study of Psalm 98. Heaven and nature will sing When Jesus returns.

I was born a sore loser. If anyone likes triumph and victory, it is me. A day is coming when believers will triumph. We will welcome our Warrior King with triumphant praise. We will march out, being lead by Peace and Joy. WOW, gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. We will walk in step behind Peace and Joy and we will be shouting praises to Jesus but we will not be alone; all of creation will join the chorus. Steve Lawson says that every time a sinner is converted, God is adding to his universal choir. The Jews for the most part missed the incarnation. They were waiting for a Messiah but their Messianic expectation was of an earthly king like David. What they did not understand is that Christ would come more than once. He came first as a suffering servant, an humble carpenter who never owed a home or held a political or liturgical office. He never wrote a book and never traveled more than 200 miles from the place of his birth. Although He did miracle after miracle, they refused to believe. Ultimately, they rejected Him and crucified Him. They did not understand the two fold nature of His mission. He came first to seek and to save and He will come again to judge and to restore order on earth. He will rule the world with truth, grace and righteousness and make every nation accountable. So we look back at the first Christmas and rejoice that He came but we also look forward to that grand and glorious day when He returns.

Thank God for this beautiful weather. Keep praying for Becky Cowart and family. Wendell Holbert’s COLS is tomorrow at 1:00. Mrs. Edith is still in CRMC but is going to rehab. June is making improvement but it is slow and she is still in a lot of pain.