Joshua 11-12 / Luke 17:11-37/ Psalm 84 / Proverbs 13:5-6
Psalm 84:2b With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Have you ever done anything “with your whole being”? How about this phrase – I love you with all my heart. There have been times in my life when I’m so overwhelmed with emotion that it feels like my whole body is experiencing something! My heart is warm, my skin is excited, I can’t stop smiling.
There have been many who have impacted my life in such a huge way that words can’t express my joy and gratitude! This has happened to me countless times and I’m usually at a loss for words. I’ve even said – I love you more than words!
The King James Version says it this way – my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. I’ve been so overcome with the goodness of God at times that I must jump or shout, or both! It feels like my insides are trying to come out of my skin LOL. It is in those times I’m at a loss for expressing myself to the Lord.
I was raised Charismatic – well, after we moved on from the Methodist Church when I was 5. And I’m not saying anything negative about the Methodist Church! I’m thankful my dad and mom had a foundation there! That said, I really enjoy the exuberance I’ve experienced in the Charismatic type churches. Today, they call them inter-denominational or non-denominational, Pentecostal, etc.
Quiet services are hard for me! LOL I’m so used to clapping my hands, raising my hands, jumping up and down, shouting, saying “amen” that it’s hard to be quiet when something amazing is happening in a service. Then I imagine Heaven. Do you think Heaven will be solemn? I’m sure there will be times – I’m sure the judgment seat will be a solemn experience.
But once we see Jesus face-to-face… I can’t even imagine the joy, the wonder, the excitement of finally seeing the One who gave His life so we could be with Him! After that, I imagine Heaven will be one large party 24/7/365 (although there is no time in Heaven). I think we’ll worship, fall on our faces, dance, shout, smile, run, jump, hug Jesus, hug our family and friends who we’ve missed so much.
And that part about feeling like we’re coming out of our skin? Well, we’ll have done that because we’ll have a new body LOL! But seriously, we’ll have a new body. And all the things we’ve dreamed about, all the things we’ve tried to imagine – they will be reality. And it will look nothing like we’ve imagined because it will be so much better.
Everything I’m describing is what’s found when looking at this verse in the original language – my heart and my flesh cry out – the inside of me and the outside of me are joyfully exuberant.
The next time you’re experiencing God and you feel an emotion attempting to escape you, I encourage you to let it out! Some may thing you’re crazy, but God will be smiling!
