hardship, His Presence, Jesus Calling, joy, trouble

True Joy

“True Joy is a by-product of living in My Presence. Therefore you can experience it in palaces, in prisons….anywhere” ( Jesus Calling, 292).

Palaces or prisons…the alliteration is beautiful, but the meaning is powerful. Have we experienced that supernatural joy that made no sense at all? Joy in the midst of strife or hardship.

This is what the rest of the devotional said yesterday: “Do not judge a day as devoid of Joy just because it contains difficulties. Instead, concentrate on staying in communication with Me….If you make problem solving secondary to the goal of living close to Me, you can find Joy even in your most difficult days.”

I think Sarah Young (who wrote Jesus Calling) must have experience problems in her life. She was a missionary. She also lost her mother to cancer. Jesus Calling is a compilation of her journals she kept during her quiet times with God. She must have known hardship and worry. But if she practiced what she was hearing from the Holy Spirit, she must have found joy.

We can too.

Joy is found when the shadow of His wings embraces us and shelters us from the storm. If you are in a storm of troubles today, place you focus on Him. The troubles may not go away all at once, but they will loose their power. I promise.

I pray we all find Joy today. Joy that makes no sense at all.

Grace and peace,
andy

Today’s Scripture:
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. (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

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