Thursday, December 16, 2021
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
Finding Joy in a Season of Heartache
A spark of joy. A stark contrast to the cold darkness of a breaking heart. Can we really find joy when we can barely get a breath because of the crushing pain we feel inside? The answer is yes, we can. And when we get that spark of joy, we can also get a spark of hope. No, not just a spark, we will abound in hope.
How can we find joy in a season of heartache? We find joy and peace in believing. Sometimes when we are in a season of heartache, we forget what we believe. Everything feels so bad that we talk ourselves into believing that there is nothing to believe in. And Satan dances. He loves for us to forget the goodness of God and the things He has already done for us. Thankfulness is the key that leads to joy and peace and hope. When we have the perspective of gratitude, eyes that see, we will find joy, even in heartache.
Christmas can be a really hard time of year if your heart is heavy. Every single carol, children’s performance, Advent sermon, and candle lighting tips a heavy heart to the spilling over side. When your heart is heavy, every side is the spilling over side. But even in sadness, joy can still be found when we remember and believe. Joy sometimes comes when you least expect it. Even in heartache, even when we don’t understand, we know Him. Even if we don’t feel it, we know about Him and because we know, we can believe. Because we believe we can have joy and peace.
So that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
What happens when we find joy and peace in believing? We abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we can’t – He can. In His power we can abound in hope – an unexpected gift tucked into finding joy and peace in believing. Who would have expected that? Finding joy and peace is a real stretch, but then comes hope – in a season of heartache. Thankfulness – joy – peace – hope.
I hope if your heart is heavy this Christmas, that you remember what you believe. I hope you remember and find peace and joy and that special gift of hope brought to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. All joy and peace in believing – believing in Him to take care of your broken heart. Believing in Him to bring you the joy and peace and hope only He can give. Even with everything you may be feeling, there couldn’t be a better Christmas gift than that.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.
1 Peter 1:8
