14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Written by Jasmyn Joubert
The psalm today is simple at first glance. We are called to praise the Lord, to cry out with joy, to give thanks for our countless blessings. Some days when you’re hitting every green light, your family is healthy and your favorite show just dropped a new season, crying out to God with joy comes naturally. And then there are days you miss your alarm, spill your coffee, or get news that shakes you, that joy is the last thing you’re crying out with.
In the middle of being quarantined in 2020 after a cancelled grad school graduation, countless opportunities for family time postponed, and too many lives lost, we made the decision in our house that we must find joy in the in-between - the moments in life that seem dull, that seem bleak - we must look for the joy and praise God for it. During this time, we found out we were expecting our second child, and when she was born the only appropriate name was Joy. God took the in-between, the dull, the bleak and gave us Joy. Isn’t that what He is always doing? Shining in the little moments, there with us when all seems to be going wrong, creating beauty from ashes? He is the source and provider of every joy, and it is only fitting that we fiercely pour that joy back to Him in praise!
Reflect on the psalm, the promise of joy. Consider, how would your life change if you found joy in the in-between of life? In what ways are you struggling to see God’s goodness? How can you cry out for joy even in that?
Jasmyn Joubert is a school counselor by trade and a mom of two daughters by vocation. She has a passion for public speaking, specifically on the intersection of faith and mental health. Most recently, Jasmyn was named President of Alive in You Outreach, a non-profit that focuses on creating servant hearts among the teens in our Church. Follow Jasmyn on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.