The Secret of Eternal Joy

The Secret of Eternal Joy Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Ephesians 5 v 19 God is a Spirit and true worshippers worship Him in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness. Many people think that Sabbath or Sunday alone is set aside for worship. Sabbath is actually meant for rest from one’s travail. But the uni-verse above states that we should often be speaking among ourselves and to ourselves with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. True worship is not from the mouth or at the lip level but it is from the heart. We should always be singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord. Happiness is something mankind is seeking outside him but joy is a wellspring from within us on account of us being connected with the very source of life- the Lord God Himself. Happiness depends on what happens to us while joy depends on whose we are. Even a river dries up at times but a spring never dries. The Lord listens to our conversations and He likes to be included in it. Streams of thanksgiving and praise should continually flow upward from our hearts. When we see a person who is sick, we need to not only pray for his healing but thank and praise God for our health. When we see a person in need, we should not only try to help him but also thank the Lord for meeting our need generously. When we first invited the Lord into our hearts and lives, He had promised, “ I will sup with you and you shall sup with me.” This means that our heart is a continual feast of emotions, of joy, of feelings of spiritual pleasure, of gratitude for the grace and peace, privileges and blessings we have received and are receiving. The Kingdom of God is not one of drinking, partying and feasting but of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The apostles had peace and joy in the most adverse of circumstances, in prison, in the face of dire threats, torture and death. Yet Paul and Silas sang and worshipped while in prison. Their worship triggered an earthquake that broke their fetters and chains. It is when such unearthly and inexplicable joy and peace fills our hearts that satan is defeated, spiritual strongholds are stormed, spiritual fetters are torn asunder and people are set free. Prateep V Philip