This weeks’ lesson focuses upon strength. The Bible makes it clear that “the joy of the Lord is thy strength,” (Neh. 8:10, literally: “delight in Jehovah is a strong refuge”) and David comfirms this in Psalm 27:6 – “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.” In the Hebrew, “sacrifices of joy” literally means “sacrifices of shouts of joy.”
Hebrews 13:15 – “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Psalm 107:22 – “And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.”
All these passages teach me that rejoicing in God is a choice, a decision to refuse to entertain thoughts of limitation helplessness, and failure in the face of difficult circumstances, no matter how much these thoughts are crying out fo.r attention. The “sacrifice of joy” (or of praise, thanksgiving) involves slaying and sacrificing — utterly immolating — the bullock of self-will that would bully me into focusing my attention on the difficult circumstances.
As he was writing Psalm 27, David’s enemies were not far away from him, but “round about” him. Metaphysically speaking, “David’s enemies” are mortal mind’s thought-forms swirling all around me, forces of distraction tirelessly trying to turn my attention off the glory of God. But by “standing porter at the door of thought” (SH 392), inwardly shouting down and subduing mortal mind’s clamor, inviting and entertaining only thoughts of God’s glory within my consciousness — to establish their omnipresence there — God not only blesses my efforts, but transforms the difficult outward circumstances in ways I cannot possibly fathom.