are all a delight, but there is one that I cannot erase from my memory. It is of the Bridegroom leaping for joy.
The bride is of a different culture and the wedding in
her country, so maybe their customs are different from ours, but to leap like
that could only have come from a joy deep within.
But is such joy a one off? My own husband was very
reserved and not likely to sing for joy, let alone leap, but I was reassured by
the Psalmist’s declaration to know that his joy as a bridegroom was something
that gave him strength to run his race. I am sure this was as true for my
husband as for this couple, who now have the responsibility of a lively and
demanding family, as well as running ministries which necessitate the bearing
of heavy burdens as well as causing stress which may affect their health.
So does that mean an end to leaping for joy? I believe
God wants us to ask and still expect joy. Didn’t Jesus say, ‘Ask
and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.’? And the promise in Isaiah
is that the lame man shall leap as a hart, as well as the tongue of the dumb
sing. So we need to pray for those who carry heavy burdens and have
responsibilities that demand more than natural strength, that God will still
anoint them with the oil of gladness and that they will know his peace and joy,
in it all.
There was a time when an injection given by the
dentist affected my heart and for a year I was struggling with ill health. It
was during that time that God gave me a promise that I would rejoice, not only
spiritually but also physically.
A few years later, I was setting out on trek in the
Highlands of New Guinea when, though I knew my strength would be tested as I
would have to wade through bogs and climb mountains, I felt this surge of
joy and knew God was fulfilling his promise.
salvation.
‘For the Lord is our strength and our song.’
Let us remind God of his promise, ‘Then shall the lame
man leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb sing.’
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