I Choose

Isaiah 12:4-6

In that day you will say:

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His

name;

make known among the nations what

He has done,

and proclaim that His name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for He has done

glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy,

people of Zion,

for great is the Holy One of Israel

among you."

I was reading this passage today for my study on prayer. We were supposed to list the actions we are to take, so I started listing them:

• Praise the LORD
• I will trust
• I will not be afraid
• Draw from the well of salvation with JOY
• Tell others to give thanks
• Call on His name
• Make known what He has done
• Sing to the LORD Let His glorious works be known
• Shout aloud
• Sing for joy
• Proclaim that His is exalted

Well, things are kind of tough around our house right now. My husband lost his job 9 months ago. We have lived frugally, but have used up all our savings and have now cashed in my IRA from when I was a teacher. We are having to make payments on medical bills because a surgeon messed up my gallbladder surgery last year and damaged my liver. My husband started a new business in a completely new line of work (sales) and we are not making enough to cover all of our monthly expenses, so he keeps working more hours and we have little time together as a family, and almost no time as a couple. To top it all off my 13 year old dislocated her elbow and possibly fractured it playing a game at church last night. We are still covered for health care through COBRA, but our deductible is $6,500 per person in our family; which means that we will have to pay for the whole ER visit last night, and whatever expenses we incur when we see the orthopedic specialist later in the week. So, it seems ridiculous to “praise the LORD, make known what He has done, sing for joy, proclaim that He is exalted, etc.” But when I read this passage this morning, He did fill me with hope.

I CHOOSE to praise the LORD. I choose to trust Him. I am choosing not to be afraid. I choose to draw from His well of salvation WITH JOY. I choose to call on His name, to shout aloud, to sing for joy. I choose to follow Him. I choose to NOT listen to the enemy. I cannot wait to see what my God will do. I choose to rejoice today!

To HIS Glory,
WP Stacey