God Brings Flourishing and Joy
The wounding can turn to rejoicing. God wants to make us radiant with the Life he gives. So radiant, he wants to make our souls drunk on the Life he gives to us.
God Brings Flourishing and Joy
Even though God scattered his people, he will keep them as his flock. He is able to keep a scattered flock tighter.
When God brings his flock together:
They are radiant over the goodness of the Lord. Radiant = To sparkle. To flow together. To stream to.
Their Life is a watered garden. Life (ESV) = Soul (KJV). Watered = Saturated, even drunk Our soul is drunk with God’s Life. Sorrow or languishing cannot happen.
Joyful and praise-filled. In the middle of their circumstances God will bring so much for our soul, it will be drunk on the Life he gives. We will sing loud because of this. We will dance because of this (sorry to my Southern Baptist friends).
God wanted his scattered, exiled people to know he gathers his scattered flock and makes their soul drunk on the Life he gives…no matter where they are.
God will do this inside of you, no matter your sin or circumstance.
God will do this inside of you, no matter why you are wounded.
God will do this inside of you, no matter your location.
God will do this inside of you, no matter your work.
God will do this inside of you, no matter your ministry context.
God wants to use you to let the nations know the impact he has on your life and the impact he can have on their life.
No one or nothing else can satisfy our soul with Life.
In our political season context, no one we vote into office will do this for us. So if your person doesn’t get voted in, God will still give Life to your soul so you can serve your city, nation and culture.
Nothing of the created order will give you Life in your soul. No substance. No relationship. No numbing. No entertainment. God has given the created order to bring us enjoyment…but to not give us fully satisfying Life inside our soul.
God wants to send you into the most difficult of circumstances with the overflow of Life in your soul that only he can give, so that those who are far from him can find the only Life their soul can get drunk on to be satisfied.
Take God’s Word Deeper…
God wants to make you drunk in your soul with the Life only he can give. Then let the overflow of praise come gushing out.
Where have you allowed your sin and circumstance get you stuck?
Do you think ou have to stay in mourning and sorrow and gloom because you think you have to? To punish yourself for your sin?
Instead, what would it look like to come to God so you become radiant and an overflowing watered garden in your soul?
How can you lead your church to see the radiance and watered garden and praise that comes with the forgiveness and presence of God?