You Can Choose Joy!
Did you know that in any circumstance you can choose joy? This is the thought of James 1:2 when he says: “Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” You can choose joy because God has a purpose. While we pray for a lost world and a declining culture, God still has a lot to do in us—let’s focus on that! Let’s not be joy-less, but make a joy list!
Take every concern in your life and imagine how God can turn it around. He can even turn evil to good, as Joseph said in Genesis 50. His brothers had sold him into slavery! Yet he forgave them and saw God at work to bring about good and the saving of many lives. What was meant for evil, God turned to good! Of course Romans 8:28 reminds us that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose.” There are times when we don’t like to hear that, but it’s true! He doesn’t cause all things, but He can turn them to good.
Paul reminds us in II Corinthians 4:17 that “our troubles are light and momentary” compared to the glory that awaits us. There again, sometimes they don’t seem that way. But God sustains us. In I Peter 1:8 Peter describes how God can turn our trials into gold in our faith. And that causes us to rejoice “with inexpressible and glorious joy.”
I can think of more than one time in my life when it seemed like the elevator went all the way to the bottom. And yet I felt myself being lifted up by an even deeper joy that went beyond all circumstances! Sometimes it takes a few days or weeks for that to happen! (The greater the trauma, the longer it takes.) Don’t give up, for “joy comes in the morning.”
We often have to remind ourselves of what God says in Isaiah 55: 9-13: “My ways are higher than your ways….and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” He knows better than we do what is best. And He knows us better than we know ourselves!
Another good prayer is from David in Psalm 51: “Restore unto me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” So make a list of your concerns and then claim God’s promises to handle them. Don’t fixate on the problems, but turn the list over to the Lord. You may have to do that every day, but gradually you experience victory!
Lord, as we pray to you we ask that you renew our joy. Lord, in a trial we ask that you be under us to lift us up and restore the joy of our salvation. We feel your strong hands under us, as one hymn said, “We are leaning on the everlasting arms.” We praise you for that. We also praise you that we can rise on eagle’s wings as Chris Tomlin wrote:
“And I will rise, when he calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain.
I will rise on eagle’s wings, before my God fall on my knees and rise!
Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed.
The victory is won, he is risen from the dead!…”
Thank you Lord for victory! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.