Last January I blogged about how New Year's Day usually sets the theme for the new year.  Last year's theme was "Peace at the End of the Day" and Father has been faithful to show me His peace at the end of each day and even at the end of the year.  I closed 2007 with Psalm 27 as my psalm of the month.  The last two verses of that psalm bring me His blessed peace. Verses 13 and 14 say, "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."  Resting there brings great peace as I trust in His goodness and wait for Him to bring about all He has promised.  His peace makes me strong and courageous as I face the new year in this land of the living.

My friend, Robin, has asked me several times what Father had to say about 2008.  I told her that I think He said something but I'm still pondering it.  That is because I'm not clear on it yet.  I've found that just when I think I've got His methods of revelation figured out He changes them to keep me searching.  Job 33:14 says, "For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it."  I agree!  So I'm going to blog what I've heard and as I do I feel pretty sure He will reveal something more to me - to all of us - about what is in store for the new year.  I'm praying that He will!

Psalm 28 is my psalm for this month — 27 to end 2007 and 28 to start 2008.  Interesting.  Psalm 28 calls my heart to prayer, pouring out everything to Him.  It reminds me of His great mercy and redemption.  It humbles me as I reflect on His grace in my life.  It brings me to praise for His strength and faithfulness.  The verses I keep pondering as I seek out His theme for the year are these:  6-9 Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

My thoughts keep going to praise as I think on how His grace has covered me, how He has answered my many cries for mercy, how He has helped me, strengthened me, saved me, blessed me, and carried me.  And as I make His praise my song, my heart leaps for joy and more songs of praise are born.  I keep thinking that my theme is "His Song is My Joy".  And I have said to Him in recent days, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation", as David said in Psalm 51:12 and I think restoration of joy is His plan.  Interesting that, in reading Job 33 to ponder how He speaks, I found these words in verses 22-28:  His soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the messengers of death. Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, 'Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him'- then his flesh is renewed like a child's; it is restored as in the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. Then he comes to men and says, 'I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.'

And Psalm 28 starts out like this:  To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.   Do you see a pattern in what He is putting together as I blog???  I sure do…  Without His salvation I would go down to the pit but my mediator, my Rock, Jesus Christ (I Timothy 2:3-6), was my ransom (Hebrews 9:15), bringing me life, restoring me to right relationship with God (Titus 3:4-7), so I can now live in His light (John 8:12).  And what does Job's friend say?  That "I will live to enJOY the light."  He is the light of salvation and that salvation is my joy.  And if He is prompting me to pray for restoration of the joy of His salvation in my life then it will be a joy like I experienced in my youth (because that is when I received His salvation) - and as Job's friend says, my joy will be "…renewed like a child's'; it is restored as in the days of his youth." 

So, as Spirit has connected the dots, I have resolved that 2008 is going to be a year of joy found in His salvation - joy found in Him - in who He is as my Savior King and in what He has done for me in redeeming me from the pit.    It will be a year of joy that overflows with praise as it did at the moment His hand reached down to catch me from falling into the pit and lifted me up to live in His light of love and holiness.  This joy is part of His sanctification process in my life and will flow into every part of me this year as He works to bring it about.

Jonathon Edwards said, "Christ is not only a remedy for your weariness and trouble, but He will give you an abundance of the contrary - joy and delight.  They who come to Christ, do not only come to a resting place after they have been wandering in a wilderness, but they come to a banqueting house where they may rest, and where they may feast.  They may cease from their former troubles and toils, and they may enter upon a course of delights and spiritual joys."  I am praying for the abundance of His joy in 2008 - for me and for you.  Join me at His banquet and let's feast on His course of delights and spiritual joys! 

His salvation is my joy and song,
amy

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."  Jesus (John 15:11)