II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 43; Hebrews 6:19-20 - "Raise A Hallelujah"

I woke up this morning with the words to "Raise A Hallelujah" in my mind...

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, Heaven comes to fight for me

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

Praising God makes the enemy mad and God happy. Raising praises in the middle of tough days strengthens me. It renews my hope and takes my faith deeper. The more I praise Him, the 'easier' these tough days are. I cannot and will not allow the enemy to take away my joy. Instead I will praise God and allow Him to fill me with more of His joy. Music is soothing to my soul every day but on days where it seems like I can't go on it is a life line God provides to me. I don't believe Doc's pancreatic cancer is from the enemy but I believe the enemy is working to tear us apart through it. He is doing everything in his power to put doubts and discouragement in us. We must remember that our God is more powerful than him. Our God encourages when the enemy discourages. This morning the Lord took me to Psalm 43 to ponder. As I began to read it, I thought about how many times over the last three months I have cried out to God asking Him to protect me from the enemy. David seems to feel like God has left him in verse two. In The Passion Translation it reads:

For you are where my strength comes from and my protector, so why would you leave me now? Must I be covered with gloom while the enemy comes after me, gloating with glee?

I don't feel like He has left me but I do have to continually pray against the attacks of the enemy during these tough days. Verses three and four in The Message are what I am continually praying for.

Give me your lantern and compass, give me a map,
So I can find my way to the sacred mountain, to the place of your presence,
To enter the place of worship, meet my exuberant God,
Sing my thanks with a harp, magnificent God, my God.

I pray for God to direct my life in a way that I will not fall into the traps of the enemy. The only way to do this is to live in His presence, twenty-four/seven. To live in such a way I must be cleansed in order to be filled with more of Him. As I live in this manner, I will receive the blessings found in verses five and six in The Passion Translation.

Then I will say to my soul, “Don’t be discouraged; don’t be disturbed, for I fully expect my Savior-God to break through for me. Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again.” Yes, living before his face is my saving grace!

Yes! That last sentence says it all. Yes, living before his face is my saving grace! Woo hoo! I just love how God wakes me up with a song and Scripture to ponder upon. I love how I not only hear His voice but I follow His direction. He is my Anchor in this storm of pancreatic cancer in Doc. I am reminded of the words of Hebrews 6:19-20. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek (NIV). He is my Hope and I will continue to seek more of Him. In The Treasury of David Commentary it reads of Psalm 43:

Verse 1-2,4-5. Five mys:  

1. My cause -- "plead it." 
2. My strength -- "thou art." 
3. My joy -- God is. 
4. My soul -- "why disquieted." 
5. My God.

Yes! He is all of these things to me and for that I am so grateful. I love what this commentary says about 'joy' in verse four. It reads:

Note the holy rapture with which David regards his Lord! He is not his joy alone, but his exceeding joy; not the fountain of joy, the giver of joy, or the maintainer of joy, but that joy itself. The margin hath it, "The gladness of my joy," i.e., the soul, the essence, the very bowels of my joy. To draw near to God, who is such a joy to us, may well be the object of our hungering and thirsting. Yea, upon the harp will I praise thee. His best music for his best love. When God fills us with joy we ought ever to pour it out at his feet in praise, and all the skill and talent we have should be laid under contribution to increase the divine revenue of glory. O God, my God. How he dwells upon the name which he loves so well! He already harps on it as though his harp music had begun. What sweeter sounds can music know than these four words? To have God in possession, and to know it by faith, is the heart's heaven -- a fulness of bliss lies therein.

Yes! The joy God provides, even in the midst of the storms of life, is incomparable to any other. In The Passion Translation it is described as ecstatic joy! The New King James Version described is as exceeding joy! In the New Living Translation God is described as the source of all my joy! This is how we can have joy during times of trials. We have God as our Hope. This is why we need to "Raise A Hallelujah" to Him when the enemy comes knocking. That is what I will do throughout this day. I will praise Him even when it may not be easy to do. In doing so, I will knock the enemy down and live in God's joy! I will stand upon II Timothy 1:7 so I can live out Psalm 43:5!

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! (NLT)

Dear Jesus,
Thank You seems so inadequate for the way I am feeling right now. You are so awesome in the way You bring before me a song and Scripture to start off my day. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me so I can live out this Scripture today. Knock the enemy down when he comes before me. Strengthen me spiritually so I can be stronger in You. Father, sometimes I feel guilty to focus my prayers on myself but right now I need to feel more of You. I do not want to fall prey to the enemy. I am putting on the armor You tell us to put on daily as I begin my day. I need Your protection in a mighty way. Lord, encourage Doc today. Father, these tough days are hard to get through but I know You are greater than pancreatic cancer. May Your glory show through to him today in a new, different way. Thank You for being Our Hope! Amen.