I praise You, My King, for You are the source of all wisdom and possess all of the solutions to my problems. A frustration I face regularly is that each day I find myself searching for happiness and having it elude me so that I end up feeling unfulfilled, frustrated and discouraged by my failures, disappointments and hardships. What I am beginning to realize is that happiness is a poor substitute for Your joy because happiness depends on things and events falling into place at the right time … while Your Joy (with its power to lift and encourage me) comes from having You in my life. I think I should do more rejoicing in You, and less complaining to You, if I want to live in peace. Having Your joy gives me a quiet confidence that You love me and want to be involved in my life. My gladness flows from the contentment that comes from focusing my time and attention on learning who You are and how to be obedient to Your will.
Learning to rejoice in You means putting the knowledge of You and Your ways above anything else in my life. Such a love will put everything into perspective and allow me to put first things first. The sooner I see and accept the fact that the things in my life are as rubbish compared to the unspeakable bliss I feel being in Your good graces. The sooner I accept this, the sooner I will go out with joy and be lead forth in praise. I must strive to fully comprehend the power given to me by Your resurrection … the inner strength and fortitude that emanates from my sufferings and trials … the peace that accrues to my life when I “let go and let God” … and, the extreme pleasure and fulfillment I get from the times spent alone with You, separated from my cares, heartaches, disappointments and the distractions of the world. The peace I yearn for is indescribable and filled with gladness.
I have come to appreciate the fact that rejoicing in You is far better than any temporal happiness I find here on earth. As a result, I have come to accept that Your joy can be found in suffering (as I take up my cross to follow You) … in serving others (when I take on the most menial task and receive little or no recognition for my efforts) … in believing (when I trust You to finish the work You’ve begun in me) … and, in giving (when caring for another’s needs mean more to me than meeting my own). Such joy flows from self-sacrifice, denial, humility, discipline, obedience and putting what You want first. My delight comes from stepping out of the way when I need to, stepping up when I’m needed and standing in the gap when no one else will. Joy does not come from external circumstances, rather from inner strength and knowing that I did what You would have done in my place. O, how the joy of the Lord is my strength. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.