"The Joy of the Lord is Strength" by Rev Grace Reyes
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Hello Brave Hearted Steppers,
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12, NIV)
Joy dictionary definition: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
In the Lord, it is a profound sense of happiness and contentment that comes from knowing God, being in His presence, experiencing His salvation, and living in the hope of His promises. It is a joy that transcends circumstances and is rooted in the divine relationship with the Creator.
When I think about the many stories of King David, those in which he would describe his deep intense feelings toward the Lord, I try to imagine how that must have felt. How, even through his many trials and disappointments with Saul He never wavered in his trust and Love of God.
The one thing that stands out when I try to understand in my own heart what I define as joy, I thought about my children, their births, and how it made me feel to become a mom, how I understood gratitude in a personal way as I marveled at the tiny hands and feet before me. I then asked myself, would I describe that as joy? Yes, but that was emotional and fleeting, it was a moment in time and then the fears of having a small charge invaded that space. I focused on the future and worried how I would be able to care for them and keep them safe.
As I begin to understand the meaning of joy in the Lord, I am convinced that I can be joyful even in the trials that I must face, I am so grateful to have the experience of God in such a profound and personal way that even in the challenges that I face with health, financial and family crisis, I am still joyful.
I am joyful because I trust Him, I have seen His hand and know that no matter what difficulties I face, no matter the sorrows, I can rely on a never-changing God who is constant in my life. He has promised to never leave nor forsake me. I have chosen through many of life’s battles to put my trust in His promises, to take the present moments of hardship and despair and know that He will cause it to work for my good and His glory, I will decree and declare that no weapon that is formed, can ever prosper.
Joy In Him will strengthen you, the joy of knowing that with each challenge I face I am never alone, that the hard things He had to allow them first and therefore has a plan and purpose for. There is nothing that escapes His sight.
Joy comes from prayer, from experiencing intimacy with God in a way that can not be articulated. You know it is a place that has no words, that must be experienced personally, there are things that God will communicate to you that will fill you like King David, with the assurance that His love is real, and you will never walk alone.
Joy is also deeply connected to the experience of salvation and the realization of God's redemptive work in one's life. "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11, ESV).
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV).
Keep in mind, as the challenges of a dark uncertain world invade your space, take the time in the morning to seek Him first and the joy will become deeply rooted, and there will be a happiness that comes from God. It is more profound than mere happiness, which can be fleeting and dependent on circumstances, it is His love that transcends all circumstances.
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