“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.” Psalm 33:1”

We are in the season of the most joyous Hebraic feast of the year – The Feast of Tabernacles. It is the Feast that points to the great ingathering of the end of the age and the return of our Messiah to tabernacle among us. It was the time that the Jews celebrated the harvest and prayed for the latter rains that would come and water the seeds for the next year’s provision. It culminated in the great ceremony of the Water Libation, where Jesus said, “Anyone who is thirsty, come to Me and drink, He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” pointing to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the celebration of Simchat Torah, literally, the Joy in the Torah that God gave to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai. We have the fulfillment of this Law written in our hearts through Jesus Christ.

One of the things the Lord has been impressing on my heart for the last few weeks is the centrality of praise and rejoicing in Him. My spiritual mentor and father, Derek Prince, always taught that joy is a decision. We may or may not feel the emotion, but it’s a decision that we make as we worship and praise the Lord. 1 Peter 1:7, 2:1 says “The genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” There is a joy inexpressible and full of glory. It is bubbling over; it’s hard to describe what it is. This joy is full of glory. When you’re around the glory, you get joy, and we get around the glory through our praises.

God’s address is praise – He is enthroned on the praises of His people. And where He is, He answers prayer. He is Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace. He is Jehovah Rohi, the Lord our Shepherd. He is Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner; He is Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who hears; He is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals us. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Praise the Lord, and give heart felt thanks to the Source of all our provision and blessing.

We cultivate a heart of praise and rejoicing through our relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the source of joy in your life – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” (Gal. 5:22). The Kingdom of God is our peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Pray in the Spirit, let His river of joy bubble up and release His song through you. Spiritual forces of darkness will try to pull you down, but the antidote to any attack whether emotional or in our circumstances is to praise the Lord.This is the antidote to spiritual and natural drought, famine and lack. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.” Begin to praise the Lord and sing in the Spirit. He will save you, rejoice over you, quiet you, sing over you and deliver you. Deliverance comes as we sing to the Lord.

As Israel celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles, may we all experience the “rivers of living water” offered by Jesus in John 7:37, 38 during this feast and come into a fresh season of joy, revival and harvest. Drink deeply, and let His Spirit fill you with His praises and joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength.