I’ve always loved the song of thanksgiving that David sang to the LORD after moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Sometimes when I’m worshipping God, I’ll quote some of the verses in 1 Chronicles 16. Certain worship songs especially prompt me to declare God’s marvelous deeds and give him the glory due his name.

My focus has always been on God in these moments. After all, 1 Chronicles 16:25 says, “For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.” But recently, God redirected my focus. I was quoting several of the verses in David’s song, when God drew my attention to something I’d been missing. 1 Chronicles 16:27 says, “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.” (NIV)

As I meditated on that verse, the Spirit of God reminded me of 1 Corinthians 3:16, which says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (NKJV) As God revealed to me how this New Testament verse could change my perspective of David’s Old Testament song of praise, I actually whispered these words aloud: I am God’s dwelling place, so strength and joy are in me.

Wow! Because of Jesus’s sacrifice and God’s gift of the Holy Spirit for all who believe, strength and joy are IN us. God dwells in us; therefore, his strength and joy are in us!

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (NIV) That verse is promising, yes, but it pales in comparison to the knowledge that the joy of the Lord is IN me. The strength and joy of the Lord are not merely with us, but are in us. Hallelujah!

May I ask a favor of you? I have a birthday coming up next month, and you can give me a wonderful gift by helping me to reach my goal of topping 20,000 total show listens by my birthday. I am incredibly honored that you return to listen to this podcast week after week, and because of you, I’m getting close to 20,000 listens over the 146 episodes I’ve done so far.

Will you help me reach my goal before my November birthday by sharing a link to this podcast with your friends and family? You could also take a few minutes to visit my podcast page and listen to any episodes you may have missed. I would truly appreciate your help getting me to 20,000. If you take a moment right now to share this podcast, not only will you help me get closer to my goal, but together we can help people speak words of life. Your tongue has power. Use it for good.

This week’s scripture: 1 Chronicles 16:23-30