The Blessing for Going Out in Joy

God has made you for joy—it’s your design.

In the aftermath of a contentious political election, you might feel despondent and anxious if your candidates didn’t all win. It’s OK to feel deeply about important issues and there’s a place for lament in our lives but we are made for joy. I’d like to bless you for joy today and in coming days. A blessing isn’t a prayer or a teaching, it is a mystical impartation—a positive vision, rooted in faith, grounded in God’s Word. When you receive blessing, it becomes part of you—it nourishes you and empowers you.

Here’s today’s blessing rooted in Isaiah 55:9:

Though every life has mountaintops and valleys,

Though every soul tastes victory and defeat,

You are made for joy—you are designed for rejoicing.

By God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit

May you go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

May the mountains and the hills before you

Break forth into singing,

And all the trees of the fields clap their hands.

Amidst the sorrows of pandemic and unrest of politics,

God’s good creation still sings a chorus of praise

As the autumn trees play the percussion.

Somewhere, somehow, today, joy can sneak into your heart.

And that’s the Gospel!