You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having
received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 1:6
Sometimes in life it seems the joy has faded a bit. There are hills and valleys in everyone’s
life, lots of ups and downs along the path.
Families that began with exuberant joy and hope are now ending in the
pain of divorce-why? There is no more
joy in the relationship. There are many
who are passing through the days with a dryness of spirit and soul. They are
not living life, they are just enduring life. They drift from one day to the
next.
Much of our life pressure is the
same. Too many people and too much
responsibility. Only so much you can get
rid of. Things that steal our joy may
not be things we don’t like. What is our
greatest joy can become our greatest disappointment.
When you feel the joy is gone from
your heart, hold fast to the hope that it will return!! Psalm 30:5 tells us Weeping
may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
Believe that though you feel like you are in a valley right now, joy
will come again and Jesus is the one to restore it.
Joy in the midst of Tribulation
Have you ever experienced laughter through tears? It is that time when you are heartbroken; crying your eyes out and someone says something funny or silly to cheer you up and you start laughing in spite of the tears streaming down your cheeks. Then you cry more!
Have you ever experienced laughter through tears? It is that time when you are heartbroken; crying your eyes out and someone says something funny or silly to cheer you up and you start laughing in spite of the tears streaming down your cheeks. Then you cry more!
Of
course there are those times of tribulation when there is no one present to
make you laugh. And the joy you once
felt is eluding you. If fact, you can’t
find any reason to rejoice…period. God
knows what you are going through and He cares about you more than anyone. He wants to heal your pain and restore joy to
you again.
Hebrews
13:15 tells us Through Him then, let us continually offer
up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to
His name. Praise helps you focus on what God is going to do in
your life rather than you keeping your focus on what is happening around you.
Are
you struggling through life? Are you facing eminent death? Are your finances in
crisis? Do you need guidance and direction for your life right now? Whatever
situation you are going through, I know
of a God whose specialty happens to be whatever your problem is.
The truth for us is this-Jesus is
not going to just doctor up our lives a little bit. Just put a Band-Aid on our
needs. No, He wants to transform your life.
Our lives will take on a new nature.
Jesus is all about transforming power. Changing people-that's what it’s
all about. Restoring joy and Hope.
Finding our joy in temporal things
is dangerous.
The things of this earth are fleeting. Wealth and prosperity may only last for a
season. But the joy that the love of our
family brings can last a lifetime. We
have to be careful however not to make other people responsible for our
happiness. People will let you down
because they are human! God will never
leave you or forsake you. His love is
the only love that is permanent.
So I encourage you to look back
over your life, remember, and give thanks to God for what He has done for you –
for truly He has done great things ... and He is worthy of your praise. You and
I have no resources available within us to replace the joy. Only Jesus can
replace the joy! Trust Him with your
heart. Allow yourself to experience His
transforming power in your life and restore the joy once again.
Scripture to Claim:
"My
brethren, consider it all joy… when you encounter various trials." James 1:2
