Great Joy, Deep Roots
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Memory Verse
"It is wonderful to be grateful and to sing your praises, Lord Most High! It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love and at night to announce how faithful you are.” (CEV)
Your big sister comes home from college. A little brother takes his first steps. Your team wins a championship. A parent says yes to a puppy. Do you ever feel so happy that joy bubbles up inside you and bursts out? Maybe you laugh, sing, wiggle, or dance. Maybe you throw your arms around someone you love. Moments like these may not happen every day, but when they do, we remember them. They bring a smile to our faces days, months, and even years later.
The psalm writer takes great joy in God’s faithfulness, praising him day and night. When we praise God, we share his goodness with others. Praising God also helps us grow deep roots of gratitude that can last for a lifetime. At the end of Psalm 92, the psalmist says “good people prosper like palm trees,” “grow strong like cedars,” and “take root in your house, Lord God . . . They will be like trees that stay healthy and fruitful even when they are old.” When we walk through a forest, we see towering trunks, reaching branches, and waving leaves stretching toward the sky. But there’s much more to a tree than what we see with our eyes. These majestic green giants can’t survive without the underground root systems that feed, support, and connect them to each other, especially during times of drought, flood, fire, or cold.
Life contains both happiness and hardship. Just as trees store extra water and nutrients in their roots to nourish each other in dry or frigid times, we too build deep roots of faith when we share our happiness with one another. Even in hard times, we remember God’s great love for us never changes. So go ahead! Dance, giggle, and shout for joy to the Lord! Let your happiness bubble up to praise God and reach down to strengthen your faith.
Prayer
Lord, we thank you for moments of happiness that delight our souls. We rejoice in your great love. May our joy be contagious to others and grow deep roots of faith that strengthen your children in happy and hard times. Amen.Related Resources
Sara Korber-DeWeerd
Sara Korber-DeWeerd is a freelance writer, teacher, and Down syndrome advocate. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband Mark and their three children, plus one dog and seven chickens. When not teaching or writing, Sara enjoys exploring the mountains, lakes, and rocky coastlines of New England with her active family (though they usually leave the chickens at home). You can find Sara's writing about faith, family, and the beauty of our differences at sarakorberdeweerd.com