Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Joy Everlasting

I go east, but he is not there.
    I go west, but I cannot find him.
I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
    I look to the south, but he is concealed.
“But he knows where I am going.
    And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
For I have stayed on God’s paths;
    I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
I have not departed from his commands,
    but have treasured his words more than daily food.
But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
    Whatever he wants to do, he does.  Job 23:8-13

Finding joy.  Sometimes, I worry about my wife.  I will see her, and realize something is not quite right.  Maybe it is something that is bothering her from work, or perhaps there was something I said that has her distant from me.  It is those times where I am most distraught.  However as I give her a hug and we assure each other of our love, I remember what makes our relationship more special than anything else.  We have joy everlasting.  We have been through trials, and even in the midst of the darkest times, we somehow always make it back to that loving embrace that reassures us.  It keeps us moving forward, and makes an overwhelming statement that nothing that God has put together can separate us.

As Christians, we are given an unshakeable feeling of joy.  In reading the story of Job, I am struck with how huge his trials were.  To lose so much had to be overwhelming, and his friends were not always the most supportive in his time of need.  Yet he continued to honor God not because he was happy.  He did so because God was not to be questioned.  Job knew he had followed a righteous path in spite of such grief.  There is very little that is happy about Job’s story, but he had joy knowing that should he follow the path God had laid out for him, God would find him ‘pure as gold.’  He had unshakeable joy in spite of all that he was enduring, and in the end, God rewarded him abundantly.  In this story, we find that while we may not be as blameless as Job and our life may not be what we would have it to be, we have joy through Jesus Christ, who calls us blameless before God.  Like Job, we are to follow the path trusting God and not questioning His judgment.  Instead, we are to seek understanding for as a fellow devotee reminded me this week, we are to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5 NLT)


Joy in knowing who God is and what He has done for us is where we should be in our journey of faith.  A relative reminded me of the words of Paul, where he says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 KJV)  Happiness can be fleeting, but joy is enduring.  If we love Jesus as He loves us, we are instilled with His Spirit and with it the strength to endure whatever trials we encounter.  Furthermore through Christ, we are made pure as gold.  So whether you are dealing with trials or in a time of peace, be assured that God is with you every step of the way.  How can you find joy in your times of uncertainty?  Who can you share the joy of God through Jesus Christ with today?  My prayer is that we remind ourselves that no matter what may be happening in our lives, we have joy everlasting.  Amen.

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