His Spirit fills me with joy with every breath.
I have many stories to tell about how He has been guiding me in my restoration over the last year.
One if the biggest lesson is to be THANKFUL in all things, knowing the truth of His promise:
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This is the Will of God:
1 Thess 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Here's what happened. Last spring, a couple months after my restoration, I was mindlessly chomping on some popcorn and a kernel broke a tooth. This was very upsetting at first. I felt inclined to ask "God, why did you let me break my tooth?" but God's Spirit quickly reminded me of the fundamental teaching He encoded in His Divine Alphabet:
ש Shin (tooth) = 300 = Ruach Elohim (The Spirit of God).
https://biblewheel.com/GR/GR_300.php
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And then I remembered "Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
That psalm is the source of the famous song "Create in me a clean heart" -
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
I've been singing that song almost every day since returning to God, struggling to really mean it and keep my heart and mind focused on the Lord while singing. It's an excellent meditation because I can feel when my mind wanders. So I sing it again, trying to focus on the presence of God. I am so thankful that God used David's sin to bless us all with a psalm of repentance that every sinner needs. I truly see how "all things work together for good for those who love God"!
So the next day on our morning walk (we walk 3 miles every day), I explained to Rose how thankful I am to God for my broken tooth. Yes, I would prefer it not to be broken, but God uses it to remind me of what it means to have FAITH in Him and His promises and His presence in my life moment by moment. Every time my tongue touches that broken tooth (which happens involuntarily many times a day) I am reminded of God's redemptive grace in my life and I praise His name afresh! It is such a blessing! We really can give thanks in ALL THINGS. God is good. God is trustworthy. God is the source of our life, joy, peace and happiness.
Praise His Name now and forever!