The Seventeenth Day of Advent
Psalm 16:9-11 (NIV)
“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Does the celebration of our Savior’s birth bring you joy? After all, the heavenly messenger said to the shepherds on the night of His birth, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of GREAT JOY…for all people.” The Psalmist used several words in our text to refer to the sense of joy in his own heart: “glad…rejoices…secure…joy.” While some of the joy experienced by the Psalmist was the result of what God had done and would do for him, much of it came from the thought of just being in the presence of the Living God! So let’s celebrate our Lord’s incarnation this year with “great joy” as we live even now in His presence and look forward to the eternal joy we will share in the next life with all who are in Christ!!
Lewis E. Lee
