Joy
By Pastor Timothy Burdick
Joy is a rare commodity
in our society today, even among Christians.
But if we would be obedient, God wants us to
possess this joy. If you feel down right
now, know that joy is not just a feeling,
but it actually is a decision, a lifestyle.
To see what I mean, please read the
following in Habakkuk 3:17-19 - "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no
grapes on the vines, though the olive crop
fails and the fields produce no food, though
there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle
in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the
Lord I will be joyful in God my Savior. The
Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my
feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me
to go on the heights."
These verses are saying
that when nothing seems to be going right,
God intends for you to have joy in your
circumstances. But you may be asking, “How
can I have joy when everything seems to be
falling apart?" Believe it or not, I know
something of how you feel. My wife is often
in the hospital, and she is there now. So I
believe that this is what God wants to say
to us: let God give you the the joy of
the Lord right now, in the midst of all that
is happening.
When everything from
our perspective seems to be going wrong, we
need to see that our lives are in the hands
of a sovereign God and one way we can do
that is by practicing rejoicing. KNOW
that God will see you through! By doing so,
we can find God as our strength as did the
prophet Habakkuk, learning to lean on God
rather then on what we see. But in order to
find joy, we must practice it. Let me give
you an example of what I mean: When I was
young, my parents wanted me to have organ
lessons. I didn’t stick with it, though, and
they didn’t make me do it. I wish now I had,
for I might be playing beautiful music.
Using this analogy, God
will never force us to walk with Him against
our will, but He wants beautiful music to
flow from our lives. He wants us to develop
such a heart of love for Him that we desire
to practice joy, no matter what the
circumstances may be.
Just as the prophet
alludes in today's Scripture, you can know
the joy of the Lord, and one way you can do
this is through music. Another is by
prayerfully reading the promises in His
Word. Whatever you may be facing, God
is bigger than your trouble. So, let His joy
be your strength and He will help you
surmount obstacles that once would have held
you down.
Visit Pastor Timothy at New Vision Ministries website www.mynvm.org
Visit Friday Study Ministries
www.FridayStudy.org
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