“You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” Psalm 43:2-4 NIV
In this Psalm, David asks a question that all of us ask from time to time: Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? The truth, as David then reasons, is this: we never need to go on mourning, oppressed by the enemy. Our joy can be renewed.
When life becomes a struggle and the enemy presses in, where can we find joy again? Joy is always found in the presence of God! He is our stronghold, our joy and our delight! When the darkness closes in, look to the Light!
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11 NIV
If Satan, or life’s circumstances, or anything else, has robbed you of joy, find a quiet place where you can focus on God and enter into His presence. Then do what David planned to do when he entered the place where God dwells, praise Him! Worship helps us regain perspective and reminds us that our problems are never as big as our God’