"Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim YOU, who walk in the light of YOUR presence, O LORD. They rejoice in YOUR name all day long; they exult  in YOUR righteousness."
Psalms 89:15

Today, being Monday, the first busy day of your week, we pray that you get your 'JOY' ON and praise the LORD with us, the whole week long!

"those who have learned to acclaim YOU"  There are aspects of praising the LORD that we have to learn and then practice.  There are great blessings for those who hear GOD'S Word and then obey. The word, acclaim means to SHOUT OUT OR TRUMPET LOUDLY THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD!  To acclaim, is to give out  SHOUTS OF 'JOY' TO JESUS!

You are probably very familiar with the words; "Please turn that down!" or, 'Please be quiet!".  You are likely to have heard those words when you were a child or have found yourself saying them to your own children.  As a matter of fact, it wasn't very long ago that the words; "Children were meant to be seen and not heard", were quite common.   

Paul and Silas were two men who knew how to acclaim JESUS.  In Acts 16:25, these two brothers began to get their 'JOY' ON and acclaim the LORD around midnight when the other prisoners were trying to sleep.  Many of these prisoners had been seriously flogged and beaten just like Paul and Silas, they were in a great deal of pain and sleep is healing.  As Paul and Silas began to wake the place up with songs and SHOUTS OF 'JOY' , many voices would have been screaming things like; "Would you two just shut up!"  "I'm in a great deal of pain over here! "  "I need my sleep!"  "Turn it down in there! "  "Shut up before we all get another beating!"  

While Paul and Silas were busy giving an acclamation of SHOUTS OF 'JOY' TO JESUS, "there came such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose."  {v 26}  You can bet that everyone got their 'JOY' ON at that moment!

This is the nature of the acclamation of SHOUTS OF 'JOY' to JESUS!  You and all those around you are totally set free from their chains!  Are you ill, are you depressed, are you at the end of your rope? The LORD will break the chains holding you a prisoner as you give forth an acclamation of SHOUTS OF 'JOY' TO JESUS!  Today and everyday, live your life in the 'JOY' of the LORD!