Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 31:13-14
LORD, my God, my soul rejoices this day because You have brought me to the end of a week, watching over me and keeping me, encouraging my soul and navigating me through many challenges. I have wrestled through a flood of emotions and pondered many decisions. I have many times had to figure out what really mattered in my life. I have experienced Your hand of discipline correcting me in the errors of my way, corralling me in from straying too far from You, often times resulting in me feeling sorry for myself while still understanding why You have disciplined me so. Painful. Yes. But oh so necessary.
On this side of Your rebuke I just want to thank You for how You have handled me and what You have done to keep me in check. As I step back and reflect upon my journey, I can not only see the wisdom and blessing in how You have handled me, but also the folly of my behaviors. I can see how my “stinking thinking” has many times caused me to prioritize the wrong things, feel the wrong way, and driven me away from a Christlike response to my circumstances and others. I can the see the sin in my actions. And my soul has deep remorse for it. Yet, You still loved me. You took the time to address me. You cared enough to correct me. You did not leave me to my own devices, but instead, with a firm hand, would not allow me to remain in that state of rebellion. LORD, You loved me, truly loved me. And still do.
I thank You today for how You have kept me, how through my times of disobedience You never gave up on me. Indeed my soul feasts on Your goodness and mercy towards me, recognizing that I don’t deserve it. Far from it, I should be cast out. Yet, as Your Word declares, my soul rejoices and is merry, You have turned my mourning into joy. You have given me gladness, and my soul is in this moment feasting on Your abundance towards me. I am satisfied, so very satisfied, with You. Thank You for being my portion. I lay hold of You this day in Christ Jesus!