We should never underestimate the power of God’s word or the power of his word in us. People need God’s joy. A sense of “gladness” should motivate us to speak of God and share his word. But God’s word needs to fill our lives if we want to share it with others. 

Every night our news can create anxiety in our hearts. Imagine the anxieties that might have weighed on the hearts of those in ancient times. They went to bed hoping for rain or hoping that it might stop. They didn’t have a “radar” to give them hope and understanding. In ancient times, people went to bed wondering what might have happened that kept their loved one from returning home. They didn’t have a cell phone to call and check on them. They didn’t know what another nation was planning or preparing to do. They didn’t know if their crops would succeed, if their livestock would live, or if their illness was an inconvenience or a concern. No matter what era of history, people have always needed “a good word.” 

We should never underestimate the power of God’s word or the power of his word in us. Whom have you shared the joy and certainty of Christ with? Whose spirits have been lifted through the Spirit at work in you? God created us to speak and hear; therefore, he must have known of our need for his word to make us “glad.” 

Churches were often built with beautiful stained glass windows, and their beauty had a higher purpose. So many of the Christians who entered those older churches were unable to read. The sermons each week were the way many learned what the Bible said and meant. In addition, the earliest stained glass window “told a story.” What the people in the church couldn’t read they could see illustrated in the beautiful glass. 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly so that your life can share and display the stories that some people might never read. A good word can make people glad!