Sing and Shout for Joy

 

Sing, O barren one who did not bear; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labour! (Isaiah 54:1 NRSV)

In obedience, you have done all that God has told you to do but all your efforts have borne no fruit, and you’re falling into despair because you just don’t understand what God is doing.

Nothing seems to be working out for you.

Everything He has told you to put your hands to has resulted in a dead end.

There’s an emptiness that you feel inside you.

You’ve been mocked, chastised, and ridiculed for continuing on without seeing the results that you expected.

You are so sure that the voice you heard was God’s voice; you know that what you have been following are His instructions, yet the promised birth has not happened and you’re about to doubt.

But God wants you to make a joyful noise to the Lord (Psalm 100:1 NRSV).

God wants you to sing in the midst of your barrenness.

God wants you to break into joyful shouting.

God knows that you can’t hear the voice of doubt if you’re singing and shouting in joyful triumph, all you will hear is your own voice, singing and shouting His praises.

God wants you and all those around you to hear the sound of victory.

God is on the verge of turning everything around. He is about to effect a miraculous change in your life; a change that will reveal His glory to a skeptical, unbelieving world.

So, sing and shout for joy,

He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:3 NLT)

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Sing and Shout for Joy” ©2014 revisited September 12, 2025