1 Kings 1:40
“And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.”
INSIGHT
-Joy in Hebrew is written as simchah which means to rejoice, delight, triumph or to have a feeling of great pleasure, gladness & happiness. It is the desire of every human being to live a life full of joy & happiness, made possible by the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). Many instances of joy can be traced in the Bible including:- Israelites deliverance from Egypt (Ex 18:9-11), return from the Babylonian exile (Jer 31:1-19 ), their restoration (Ps 14:7), corporate worship (Deu 16:13-15 ; 2 Chr 30:21-22, Ps 122:1), harvest & military victory (Isa 9:3 ), enjoyment in wine (Ps 104:15 ), marriage (Pro 5:18 ), child birth (Ps 113:9 ), Gods’ steadfast love (Ps 32:11 ), in Gods’ word (Ps 119:14 ), believers reward (Isa 65:14 ), with wine (Ps 104:15), birth of Christ brought joy to all people ( Lk 2:10 ), Christs’ ascension (Lk 24:52 ), angels rejoice in unbeliever’s conversion (Lk 10:20 ), believers rejoice in trials & persecution (Jam 1:2 ), God’s kingdom is associated with righteousness, peace & joy (Rom 14:17 ), joy in salvation & that our names are written in heaven (Lk 10:20 ), constant rejoicing (Phi 4:4) etc.
-There was great distress in Israel when Adonijah son of Haggith exulted himself, sacrificed oxen, cattle & sheep, & became king. He invited all the king’s sons, commanders of the army, & Abiathar the priest to the celebration who praised him saying “long live King Adonijah!” Nathan the prophet intervened & adviced Bathsheba the mother of Solomon to let the news known to king David & request for him to anoint Solomon her son as king. King David then called in prophet Nathan, Benaiah & Zadok the priest who anointed Solomon king of Israel. The coup attempt was reversed & there was celebration & rejoicing in the whole of Jerusalem. Likewise, many times in the hope of liberation & abundance of joy, we pray God to propel our lives, families & nation forward in His mercy as promised in His word.
PRAYER
We thank You Jehovah for Your marvelous splendor upon all the earth. You have made this beautiful day & enabled us to see it, we rejoice & are glad. Remember our nation Father at this time we are faced by many challenges including corruption, poor governance, high levels of unemployment, mismanagement of public funds & low economic growth & many other challenges Lord. Intervene in our national affairs & direct our leaders in Your will merciful Father. Lord also remember our personal needs & those of our families, hear us & answer us Father that our joy may be full. All glory & praise belongs to You Lord. Amen
1 Chronicles 16:27-28
”Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”
INSIGHT
-The Lord is full of splendor & majesty, in His dwelling place is joy, glory & strength; where the rich & the poor, the old & the young find hope & comfort. God calls us to seek Him always for no one is perfect; as He perfects us in His love. In His dwelling place/ kingdom is righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). By His merciful love we coexist with one another in peace & love that our joy may be full.
PRAYER
We love You Lord, we adore You, we exult You for Your mercy & salvation endures forever. We humbly come at Your feet Jesus asking for mercy & grace, fill our hearts with love, joy, peace & righteousness in the Holy Ghost. Our Father who at in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread & forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us now into temptation but deliver us from all evil, for thine is the kingdom the power & the glory, forever & ever. Amen
Romans 12:12
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
INSIGHT
-This scripture seems simple yet complex & powerful, giving a summary of what human life comprises, for we face affliction in our daily encounters, dwell in prayer & live in hope for a better future in Christ Jesus. Apostle Paul reminds us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing & give thanks in everything; for this is the will of God through Jesus Christ (1 The 5:16-18). We are therefore called to keep praying, hold fast patience, give thanks to God in times of affliction & joy, with our hope placed on Christ Jesus our Lord & Saviour.
PRAYER
Merciful Father, blot out all my iniquities & wash me with Your blood that I may be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart Lord & renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence Lord & do not take away Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation & uphold me by Your generous Spirit. You are my strength & shield Lord; my heart trusts in You alone. Direct me in the way I should go, deliver me at the wake of weakness, help me to be persistent & patient in prayer, & plant in me Your eternal joy; Almighty Father. You deserve all the glory & praise; Lord. Amen
Luke 15:7
“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
INSIGHT
-The parable of the lost coin, lost sheep & the prodigal son, highlight the importance of repentance to the kingdom of God. In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son got lost in pleasures of the world but he came back to his senses & God delivered him. In contrast, the older son remained faithful to his father as he never transgressed any of his commandments. The younger son thus needed repentance which triggered a celebration on earth & in heaven among the angels. It is important therefore to always ask for Gods’ mercy in repentance & change ones mind in the mission to follow Jesus without turning back.
PRAYER
Jesus we love, we praise You & lift Your name high. Many times we have gone astray & have fallen short of Your glory Lord, have mercy on us we humbly ask You & cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Renew our minds & convert us that our characters may reflect You Lord & strengthen us so that we may never turn back like Lots wife who looked back & became a pillars of salt. Remember Jesus our brothers & sisters who do not recognize You as God, have mercy on them all & bring them into Your kingdom. Remember also Father all those who are studying, those who are working & the retired that Your will may be done in each one of our lives. Give us good health, peace of mind & long lives full of joy Jesus. Amen
John 15:10-12
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus reveals the secret of joy which entails keeping His commandment that we love Him & one another that our joy may be full. It is the love of God that yields absolute joy in our hearts for He gives us His grace to function effectively in His will here on earth.
SUMMARY
-Joy in Hebrew is written as simchah which means to rejoice, delight, triumph or to have a feeling of great pleasure, gladness & happiness. It the desire of every human being to live a life full of joy & happiness, made possible by the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). Many instances of joy can be traced in the Bible including:- Israelites deliverance from Egypt (Ex 18:9-11), return from the Babylonian exile (Jer 31:1-19 ), their restoration (Ps 14:7), corporate worship (Deu 16:13-15 ; 2 Chr 30:21-22, Ps 122:1), harvest & military victory (Isa 9:3 ), enjoyment in wine (Ps 104:15 ), marriage (Pro 5:18 ), child birth (Ps 113:9 ), Gods’ steadfast love for us (Ps 32:11 ), joy in Gods’ word (Ps 119:14 ), believers reward (Isa 65:14), birth of Christ brought joy to all people ( Lk 2:10 ), Christs’ ascension (Lk 24:52 ), angels rejoice in unbeliever’s conversion (Lk 10:20 ), believers rejoice in trials & persecution (Jam 1:2 ), God’s kingdom is associated with righteousness, peace & joy (Rom 14:17 ), joy in salvation & that our names are written in heaven (Lk 10:20 ), constant happiness in the Lord (Phi 4:4) etc.
-Adonijah son of Haggith exulted himself, sacrificed oxen, cattle & sheep, & became king of Israel as David’s successor without his consent which caused an uproar in Israel. Nathan the prophet then intervened & advised Bathsheba the mother of Solomon to let the news be known to king David & request for him to anoint Solomon her son; king. David then called in prophet Nathan, Benaiah & Zadok the priest & instructed them to anoint Solomon; king of Israel reversing the coup attempt & brought about rejoicing in the whole of Jerusalem (1 kings 1:40). There is also rejoicing in heaven among the angels as revealed by the parable of the lost coin, lost sheep & prodigal son, when one sinner who needs forgiveness repents than ninety nine just persons who need no repentance (Lk 15:7). The prodigal son went astray when he chased after pleasures of this world but God had mercy on him & drew him back into His kingdom. We should therefore ask for Gods’ mercy always in repentance & change our minds in the mission to follow Him without turning back, & not be like Lot’s wife who was saved from the fire of Sodom & Gomorrah but looked back & became a pillar of salt. Apostle Paul reminds us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing & give thanks to God in everything; for this is His will through Jesus Christ (1 The 5:16-18). In this regard, God calls us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction & faithful in prayer (Rom 12:12). His dwelling place is joy, glory & strength; where the rich & the poor, the old & the young find hope & comfort (1 Chro 16:27-28). God also calls us to seek Him always for no one is perfect; but He perfects us in His love for His kingdom is about righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).
PRAYER
We thank You Father for liberating us from colonial oppression & giving us ultimate freedom through the sacrifice of Your beloved son Jesus for us all. Thank You Father for loving us with perfect love & help us Lord to love You & to love one another that our joy may be full. Remember our nation Kenya Lord during this time that we are faced by many challenges including corruption, slow economic growth, unemployment, relational issues, family problems, neo-colonialism, financial challenges etc that You set us free & bless us all Lord. We cannot forget to thank You our loving Father for this far You brought us, we praise You & bless Your holy name Lord. We know & believe that You are changing our lives & exposing us to new beginnings for Your love for us endures forever. Receive all the glory, honour & praise Father, now & forever. Amen