Shout Joyfully!

Psalm 98:4-7

4.  "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;

Break forth in song, rejoice, 

and sing praises.

5.  Sing to the Lord with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of a psalm,

6.  With trumpets and the sound of a horn;

Shout joyfully before the Lord,

the King."

These lovely Cardinals and this Red Bellied Woodpecker (below) gave me much joy to see today!

This woodpecker is really giving me a close look!

And yes, there were a couple of Canadian Geese here again, quite close to shore, wading around and looking for their breakfast:

But here's what really brought a "joyful shout" from my lips!  I was busily watching the cardinal in the tree in front of me, when I heard this shrill cry in the sky, and I looked up, and at first I thought it was just a buzzard, but then when I looked closer, and the sun shone on that white head and tail feathers,  soaring high above me, was this beautiful eagle!!! 

  I am so thankful that I looked up in time to see him, and that he circled around again so that I could get two pictures of him before he flew out of sight.

Isaiah 40: 25-31

25.  "To whom then will you liken Me, 

or to whom shall I be equal?"

says the Holy One.

26.  Lift up your eyes on high, 

and see who has created these things,

Who brings out their host by number;

He calls them all by name.,

By the greatness of His might

and the strength of His power;

Not one is missing.

27.  Why do you say, O Jacob,

and speak, O Israel;

'My way is hidden from the Lord,

And my just claim is passed over by my God"?

28.  Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

29.  He gives power to the weak, 

and to those who have no might He increases strength.

30.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

and the young men shall utterly fall.

31.  But those who wait on the LORD 

shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

I don't know about you, but these verses from Isaiah always give me such comfort and encouragement.  Whenever I am feeling weak and weary, God sends along His "eagle's wings" to lift me up and carry me, until my strength is renewed.

Hear what God said to Moses to tell the children of Israel:

Exodus 19:3-5

3.  "And Moses went up to God, 

and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, 

"Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, 

and tell the children of Israel:

4.  "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself."

5.  "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice 

and keep My covenant, 

then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; 

for all the earth is Mine."

We are seeing things happening in our nation and world right now that give us great concern. We are proud of our President, and his courage to stand strong against our enemies.  But we may have some anxieties over what the overall outcome of such action might be.  However, when I read these verses above in Exodus, especially verse 4, I am encouraged to know that just as God bore His beloved Israel on eagles' wings and brought them to Himself, I believe He will do the same for His beloved children who have been adopted into His family through the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. I believe that we, who are a part of the "Bride of Christ", are also a special treasure to Him, and all the earth belongs to God, and we need not fear what man will do to us. Those "eagles' wings" are still there for us, ready to bear us up and give us strength and carry us directly to God Himself. 

Therefore:

 "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;

Break forth in song, rejoice, 

and sing praises."

Psalm 98:7-9

7.  "Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,

The world and those who dwell in it;

8.  Let the rivers clap their hands;

let the hills be joyful together before the Lord,

9.  "For He is coming to judge the earth,

with righteousness He shall judge the world,

and the peoples with equity."

So let us sing and shout joyfully to the Lord...because the "Judge of the all the earth will do right"...(see Genesis 18:25)

Click HERE for another post about "On Eagle's Wings"