Garments of Joy

UV 3706/10000. Garments of Joy I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom puts on a turban, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61 v 10 When we exult in the Lord, He will exalt us. He clothes us with garments of praise, of joy. This morning as I was doing my customary morning prayer walk, I saw a snail emerging out of its shell. Then, I thought to myself that the Lord had provided a protective hard cover for the slender snail to shelter in. How much more has He provided for us, as humans, as believers of Jesus. He has covered our shame with a robe of righteousness by grace. We will no longer be put to shame or humiliation when we consider our past. He gives us a double portion of blessing, of anointing like Elisha. He adorns us with a turban, a mark of honour in eastern countries, a sign of leadership. He adorns us with the fruit of the spirit as the jewels of character. The joy of the Lord is our enduring strength. Our joy is not transient but everlasting, lasting beyond our circumstances, beyond our earthly lives. We delight in the things the Lord delights in. This is the source of our strength. We delight in His presence as a bride in the Bridegroom. We delight in His gifts, the gifts of the spirit. We delight in the fruit of the Spirit. We delight in righteousness. We delight in studying the Word of God. We delight in the promises of the Lord. We delight in fellowship with the saints or followers of Jesus. We delight in doing His will. We delight in obeying His commands. We delight not only in good times but in the trials and difficulties we face as we live a life of faith. The garments of salvation are also our armour. It might look like ordinary clothes but the turban of honour the Lord places on our heads acts as a helmet. The Word is our spiritual sword that penetrates not only our hearts but the hearts of any listener. The truths we learn from the Word become our belt. Our faith acts as a shield to protect us from the fiery darts the enemy fires at us. Our feet are also adorned with fitting shoes of the readiness to do God’s will and go wherever He directs us.