Thankful, Day Thirty-Two

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I just looked up the word shout using the Interlinear Bible tool at my favorite online Christian resource website. In the Authorized Version, the word is translated noise--Make a joyful noise. But in the original language, it has several variations of meaning. Want to hear some?

It means to shout, raise a sound, cry out, or give a blast on a trumpet.

It is a war-cry of alarm or battle.

It is a signal for war, or for marching.

It is a shout of triumph over one's enemies.

It is an ovation of applause.

It is a cry of religious impulse.

It is also a cry of distress, although I doubt the Psalmist had this particular definition in mind when He wrote, Shout with joy to God all the earth!

I shout my thanksgiving to God this morning, because He has made me more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ who loves me. I am triumphant in Him this morning in every circumstance and situation, because my faith in Him gives me the victory! God is on my side, so none can stand against me. What God has given me, no man can take away, or any woman either.

I shout my thanksgiving to God this morning as a battle cry, a declaration to the world, my flesh, and the devil that my fight is not finished, my war is not at an end. What I have fought for in the past, I will fight for in the future. I'm not giving up, and I will not surrender. I'm in this to the finish, so that when my life is over, I hope it can be said of me, He fought the good fight, He finished his race, He kept the faith!

I shout my thanksgiving to God this morning, an ovation and applause of His worthiness, His supremacy and sovereignty, His ability and willingness to do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think! And I can't wait for the moment when my triumph is complete, when the battle is finally over and the victory's been won, when I stand with all the saints of all the ages before the throne of Almighty God and shout His praises that will ring throughout all eternity.

I'm thankful today for victory, and I don't mind shouting about it!