He Has Made Me Glad

Once upon a time worship songs were simple, we called them choruses and sang them around the campfire at all those wonderful summer camps. From 𝗔𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗿 to 𝗜𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸, these choruses have been sung from Seattle to Zimbabwe, from the Smokey Mountains to the banks of Lake Kariba and beyond! I have such vivid memories of my brother strumming his guitar, I would sing along with him as the smoke from the fire curled around us. Voices raised as a sweet-smelling fragrance to the LORD. A simpler time for sure.

This morning, I awoke with the song 𝗜 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻 𝗠𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 on my lips and as I sat down with the LORD the refrain rang through my head.

“𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅,

𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅,

𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅.

𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅,

𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅,

𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅.”

Do you remember it?! Did you sing it too? Surely “𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝐿𝒪𝑅𝒟 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓂𝒶𝒹𝑒, 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓇𝑒𝒿𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝑔𝓁𝒶𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓉!” For the LORD has made us glad.

Psalm 92:4 says it this way; “𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔, 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫; 𝑰 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆.” The deeds of the LORD make us glad, they bring us joy, cause us to rejoice! As I sat and began to think about my past, my sin, the things I had done that hurt others, my sin sat upon me like a dead weight. Heavy, a burden.

But then I remembered that the LORD has cleansed me from all my sin and delivered me from all unrighteousness! And my heart began to sing, I am washed by the blood of the Lamb, walking in freedom, the chains of my past are broken and no longer hold me back. Incredible – the deeds of the LORD make us glad! That alone should make our hearts sing but there is so much more. So much more that the LORD gives and does. 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗛𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝗛𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝗛𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱!

Today I am determined to sing my thankfulness to the LORD, to remind myself with the chorus that He has made me glad, to remember all that God has done for me. Will you join me? Let’s start in the chorus, “𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅….”