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Choose Joy



     "Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy works, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the santcuary: who is so great a God as our God?" - Psalm 77:9-13

   So many times we feel as if we are all alone. As if God has completely forgotten about us and we begin to ask why. Many times in David's life, God chose to stay silent wanting him to simply have the faith to trust that God knew what He was doing. David must have felt alone in the cave when Saul wanted him dead. He must have felt alone when Absolom was marching on Jerusalem to take the crown by force. When Ammon abused Tamar and was killed by his brother, David must have felt such sorrow for the disgrace and turmoil it brought to his family. Yet through all of what we would consider fair reasons to be upset, hurt, or angry, David chose the path of joy.
   David was able to keep in good spirits because he chose to dwell on God's past blessings. He probably thought back on Israel's years in captivity in Egypt and how God miraculously brought them out. How God gave Joshua the wisdom to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Then David notices something else: he sees how God is still working even though he felt alone.
   Even if we feel like God does not remember or know where we are, He still knows. As long as we choose to keep our eyes on Him like David did, we will be able to see God working and using us through our times of loneliness. When we remember how God has blessed and used us in the past, it is easier to move forward with what He has given us for today, this week, this month, and even the next year. Having joy is a choice that we have to consciously make every day multiple times a day. We will get to a point where we think and talk about all of what God is doing in and for us. That is where we starting saying, "who is so great a God as our God?" Joy is always a choice.

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