Dennis Edwards
“The joy of the Lord is your strength, Dennis. You’ve got to fight for joy.” So said my friend who asked me to call her when she noticed how down and discouraged I was after the death of my 45 year old son. I was suffering condemnation. I was under a cloud of darkness; a despondent depression was starting to grip me. I knew I shouldn’t feel condemned for my son’s death. Yet, I also knew his death might have been avoided had I been more a tune to his psychological condition. I never thought he would commit suicide. But he did, and it rocked the world of my family.
The attacks on me were constant and unrelenting from both flesh and spirit. It was your fault, the fault of the religious community you had been involved in, the fault of your poor parenting. You tried to save the world and weren’t even attentive to the condition of your own son. What kind of father are you? What kind of a Christian are you? Where are your priorities? It’s finally time to wake up and forsake that religious nonsense.
I knew those accusations weren’t true completely. But even lies have some truth to them or they would not be so easily believed. I knew I had missed the mark. I knew I hadn’t made that phone call that might have made a difference in my son’s final decision. I myself had avoided suicide because, as I prepared to drive my car off the bridge into the river below, I saw the face of my favourite aunt, Aunt Ida. She loved me. Therefore, if love existed, and I had felt it in Ida’s arms that summer as a confused disheartened 20 years old; if love existed, life must have purpose. I decided to continue my search for truth. If love existed, there must be something more. Ending my life by my own hand to stop the suffering I was experiencing at that time was not the solution. Ida’s holding me in her arms, reminded me that love was real. Had I called Mike, maybe he would have not made that decision.
Those were the thoughts running through my head constantly.
Why, God, why? Why Mike? He said he was searching for You and reaching out to You.
Why didn’t You keep him, Lord? How could You let this happen? Why didn’t You
let me know he was at that state? Lord, a second, son, lost. What have I done
wrong? Why have I failed so miserably?
That was the state I was in when my friend asked me to call her. So, I called. “Dennis, it’s not your fault. It’s the enemy who is trying to condemn you and cause you to be discouraged. But you need to fight for your faith. You need to fight for joy, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
When she said that about “joy,” it rang with my soul. It was like God was talking to me. I needed to fight for my faith by fighting for joy, because the joy of the Lord is what strengthen us. Without His joy I would be weakened and fall by the wayside of faith, like I had seen so many others do. When hard situations arose, they had lost their faith. They weren’t able to say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” I decided to fight for joy. Instead of walking around in discouragement, I would praise the Lord in spite of my not feeling happy. I would trust and praise the Lord.
What would others think if they saw me happy? Hadn’t my son died? Shouldn’t I be in mourning? Wouldn’t it be offensive to my family and disrespectful to my son that died if I walked around happy? I decided it didn’t matter what they thought. The enemy was fighting my faith and trying to extinguish it. I would fight back with praise and regain the joy of the Lord. I would not be passive.
Thirteen years before I had benefitted from doing Becky Harling’s 30 Days of Praise Challenge. Martin, my 27 years old son had died in a strange accident in the Bermudas where he had gone to work. It was Saint Patrick’s Day. He had celebrated with a few beers with his friends that led to some joints of hashish. For some reason he went down to the dock and jumped in the water. He left his clothes on the beach. The police asked me if it could be suicide. I didn’t think so. He had been preparing for a triathlon athletic event of running – biking – swimming. Maybe he went for a practice. Could it have been suicide?
At that point, once I got back to Europe, I came across Becky Harling’s 30 Day Praise Challenge. She had been diagnosed with cancer of the breasts. She called her friend and mentor asking her if she would do a 30 fast and prayer vigil with her for healing. Her mentor and friend responded, “Why don’t we do a 30-Day Praise Prayer Vigil together instead?” “I’ve just been notified that I have cancer and you want me to praise God for 30 days. I don’t feel like praising right now.” Her mentor responded, “But it might be the very thing God wants you to do. He says, “In everything give thanks.” Becky told her friend she would think about it and within a few days they were off on the 30-Day Praise Challenge together.
Becky has since written a book about the experience and made it into a 30-Day devotional program to follow. A 30-Day Praise Challenge. I had done the challenge when my son Martin had died those 13 years ago. A friend had put the 66 songs she had recommended on my new phone so that I was able to listen to it throughout the day and have those lovely praise song running through my mind. They did wonders to me, even more than the devotional readings and suggested prayers. By listening to the praise music, I fought through the discouragement I was feeling as a failure father. The songs of praise transformed my life and helped me to be more praiseful and thankful. I consider obeying the command “In everything give thanks” to be one of the keys to my being able to walk in victory today. I am thankful for my friend who bought an extra chip for my phone, downloaded the songs onto it, and placed it in it for me. Becky was thankful for her friend, also, and to Jesus who healed her supernaturally through praise.
God has done it again. I have redone the 30-Day Praise Challenge. I shared the individual devotional readings and suggested prayers and the 2/3 songs a day on a WhatApp group that I participate in. During that month of redoing the Praise Challenge, and posting the songs on my blogspot, I had some 24,000 visits. I usually have around 3-5,000 visits a month. There seems to be a vacuum for praise, or a need to hear those types of songs. “Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” [Psalm 150:6] I have also made a good friend of a woman who lost her two daughters in a car crash many years ago. God does work everything together for good, if we trust Him and are able to praise Him in spite of the seeming difficult situation.
The joy of the Lord is indeed our strength. God commands us
not to be dismayed or discouraged. The enemy is in the business of discouraging
us. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Joy is God’s presence with us. His
presence, His joy, gives us strength to face life’s difficulties with courage
and resilience. We can bounce back from devastating events because we are
trusting in Him. We are believing that He ultimately has everything in control
and therefore we can in everything give thanks. By giving thanks, we enter into
the joy of the Lord and are strengthened spiritually, physically, emotionally,
psychologically. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength.” [Nehemiah 10:8b]
Here are some more Bible verses to reflect on the importance
of joy, praise, and thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s
will for you in Christ Jesus.” NIV
Psalm 103:1-4 “Praise the Lord, my soul; all
my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the
LORD. My soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and
heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with
love and compassion.” NIV
Isaiah 12:4-5 “And on that day you will say, “Give
thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the
people: make them remember that His name is exalted. “Praise the
Lord in song, for He has done glorious things; let this be known throughout the
earth.” NASB
1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh, give thanks to the
LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” ESV
Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom
that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so
worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming
fire.’”
Psalm 95:1-4 “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout
joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence
with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him
with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods.”
NKJV
Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to
all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV
Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us
rejoice and be glad in it.” ESV
Colossians
3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ
rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And
be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as
you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and
songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” NIV
Psalm 5:11 NKJV “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You. Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.” NKJV.
John 15:11 & 16:24 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.” NKJV
Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in
hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” NIV
Psalm 9:2 “I will be glad and rejoice
in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.” KJV
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law.” KJV
Psalm 16:11 “Thou will show me the path of life: in thy presence
is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for
evermore.” KJV
Psalm 144:14b-15 “…that there be no complaining in our
streets. Happy is that people, that is in such a case; yea, happy
is that people, whose God is the LORD.” KJV
Psalm 145:2 “Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise
thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable.” KJV
Psalm 146:1-2 “Praise ye the LORD. Praise
the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD:
I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” KJV
Psalm 147:1 “Praise ye the Lord: for it is
good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise
is comely (appropriate).” KJV
Psalm 149:5-6 “Let the saints be joyful in
glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of
God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword [Hebrews 4:12] in their hand.” KJV
Psalm 30:4-5,11-12 “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger
endures but for a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a
night, but joy comes in the morning. Thou has turned for me my
mourning into dancing: thou has put off sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be
silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. KJV
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