Joy Amidst Trouble
Psalm 119:143 Even though I have troubles and hard times, your commands give me joy.
Can I ask you, what is it that brings you joy in your life? At the very centre, at the very core of your being, what fills you with joy? And what happens to that joy when things in life turn sour?
One of the things that brings me great joy is when my three-year-old granddaughter arrives at our house on days when my wife minds her. I’m usually sitting at my study desk working, I hear the door open and then she races down the hallway with a loud “Grandpaaaaaaaa” and gives me a huge hug. What a joy!
But one day she’s going to grow up. One day she may not be quite as excited to see Grandpa as she is today. And that’s how it is, even with the very best things that this world has to offer us. One day …
And then, at the other end of the spectrum, there are those times of trouble that we all seem to go through – the really tough times when life’s a grind. What, if anything, brings you joy in the midst of those, hmm? Writes the psalmist:
Psalm 119:143 Even though I have troubles and hard times, your commands give me joy.
You know, there’s something incredibly special about doing good, doing God’s will in those hard times; you’re aching inside yet you choose to follow God’s call on your life, simply to honour Him by following His ways, His commands, though every step hurts.
You can have tears streaming down your face and yet in that place, know the joy of the Lord perhaps more keenly than at any other time.
Even though I have troubles and hard times, your commands give me joy.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Blessed by this devotion?
Share it with a friend!
Respond