Something About The Joy

New York Times: U.S. Arms Sales Make Up Most of Global Market By THOM SHANKER Published: August 26, 2012             WASHINGTON — Weapons sales by the United States tripled in 2011 to a record high, driven by major arms sales to Persian Gulf allies concerned about Iran ’s regional ambitions, according to a new study for Congress. Overseas weapons sales by the United States totaled $66.3 billion last year, or more than three-quarters of the global arms market, valued at $85.3 billion in 2011. Russia was a distant second, with $4.8 billion in deals.       Psalm 76: God is renowned in Judah; in Israel his name is great.   His tent is in Salem (peace) his dwelling place in Zion (with His people).    There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.     There's a great day coming. . .

My heart is heavy.   Summer weather has finally come.   I should be enjoying the August sun and the season of rest before school starts.   Instead I'm struggling to hang onto joy.   What a waste of beautiful weather! But sun in the heart doesn't always follow sun in the sky.   That's life. Maybe I've been reading too much world news.    No.   The problem is closer than that.   I'm seeing the spiritual apathy and emptiness in my own little world.   And, too often, in my own little heart.   I'm comparing the fruitful way God used to work, in both my world and my heart, with the spiritual barrenness that seems to surround me.   I wonder, sometimes, if God is even able to reach any of us in our current culture of self-satisfaction and apathy.   A TIME FOR DOUBTS It's somewhat comforting to know I'm not the first to feel this angst.  This morning I opened my Bible to Psalm 77.   In verses ...

The rightness of God is what makes him worthy of praise and worship.   Yes, he is powerful, wise and inconceivably great.   Those are all awesome attributes.   But it's his rightness, his righteousness, that makes him worthy. We love rightness.   And we know, instinctively, what foundational rightness is.   We may be confused about the specifics.  The influence of our godless culture has marred our perception of righteousness in many of the details of ethics and morality.  But w e still understand the essential rightness of love, not hate; of peace, not war; of charity, not greed; of humility, not hubris.   We know what makes the good guy good, and the bad guy bad. Rightness is good, and God is the essence of rightness.   He is always, completely, amazingly, wonderfully right and good in every way. And worship of God solely for his rightness is pure, unadulterated joy.

Lord, there's just too much. Too much insecurity.   Too much evil. Too much pain. Too many people to care about and pray for. Too many distractions. Too many voices leading away from you. Too many tweets and twitters. Too much information.   "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:2 The Rock is secure. The Rock is right and true. The Rock is peace. The Rock is a refuge for all who will come. The Rock is a focus on reality that matters. The Rock is a still, small voice. The voice is confident, full of reassurance.   Full of quiet, strong, sure, eternal promise of peace and joy.