Finding Joy In The Midst Of Your Circumstances

This past week I enjoyed some time with good friends. We had time to share details about our lives and talk about some very 'real' issues of the heart.

Have you ever been visiting with someone and you say something or give advice and later realize that you need to listen to your own advice? I do it all the time. It is so easy to encourage someone else, but be needing to do exactly what you were just talking about for yourself. We can encourage faithfulness and pray for peace, joy, or healing and need it all in our own lives.

As we were talking I said something that I later sat back and thought about in more detail and realized that it was one of these examples.

I was sharing that I believe that JOY and peace are issues of CHOICE.  

We can have them in spite of any CIRCUMSTANCE,  

if we choose to!

Lets first define what JOY is:

JOY
1. The emotion evoked by well-being, success,
or good fortune or by the prospect of
possessing what one desires

2. a state of happiness or bliss

3. a source or cause of delight

How do we find Joy?  Here is a scripture that tells us:

Psalm 16:11

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with JOY in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (emphasis mine)

We will find JOY in the presence of God!  Not by having a great house, job, car, or by having the best husband or best behaved children....THERE IS NO EVENT THAT EVOKES OR CREATES THE JOY OF THE LORD EXCEPT BEING IN HIS PRESENCE!  I think in our culture we wait for events or circumstances to effect our emotions in a way that creates a temporary feeling of happiness and we confuse that with what true JOY is.  

The beauty of this is that we can choose to be in God's presence ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, NO MATTER OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.  This gives us the ability and the freedom to be joyful (because it is coming from God) when we are sick, when we can't pay the bills, when we are being treated unfairly, and when we are sad.  

We don't have to wait for an emotion, but we do have to become active in our efforts to be in RELATIONSHIP with the One who made us and saved us!  I can pray, I can read my Bible, I can sing songs of praise...no matter how I feel!  Many times these actions will bring about new emotions.  

Next time you are feeling the need for some added JOY, try some of the following ideas:

• Get in the Word - Pick up your Bible (or find one online...I even have an app on my cell phone).
• Take Time To Pray - Get away for a minute, even if you just have to shut yourself in your room or walk into the back yard, and take some quiet time with the Lord.  Tell Him your heart.
• Read Scripture Out Loud - Read some scriptures aloud that remind you of the goodness of God. (Isaiah 30:18, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 34:19, Proverbs 16:3, etc)
• Listen and/or Sing Songs Of Praise - Put in a good worship CD and sing or listen to songs that remind you to focus on God's Goodness.  If you don't have worship music, head to one of the internet music sites (Pandora.com, Playlist.com, etc) and create your own playlist or station...they're free!
• Call Someone To Pray With You - Call a friend or family member and ask them to pray with you!  Prayer is a powerful thing and the Bible says in Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst."

If you follow the Biblical instruction of finding JOY in His presence, you will find happiness and JOY.  And the more that your true desire is to be close to God, then the faster you will feel abundantly JOYFUL just by spending time with Him...no matter what is happening in your day to day life.

Why is Joy important to have?  The following scripture shows us that a benefit of having JOY from the Lord is STRENGTH!  I don't know about you, but I could use all the strength I can get to walk through this life! 


Nehemiah 8:10  

"Do not grieve, for the JOY of the LORD is your strength." (emphasis mine) 

He has also given us the Holy Spirit to help us to understand and follow God's Will (John 14:26) and all we have to do is say YES, I choose to accept these gift from you Lord. I no longer want to allow Satan to control me with fear, stress, and worry and I will CHOOSE instead to take those thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and replace the enemy's schemes for evil with God's gifts of blessing and freedom.

The Bible does give us some instruction on what to think about in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report - if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think on these things."

When we are more focused on God, and our inner Spirit is relationally connected with God, we will experience JOY, peace, and love because we can rest in Him. 

LORD, I pray that you would help us to be in Your Presence more often no matter how busy we think we are.  Help us to remember that Satan has a plan to keep us too busy for you, let us not fall prey to his schemes.  Be with us, be our strength, and be our present help in our time of need, and let us live our days in abundant JOY.  Let our hearts, our eyes, and our desires to be set on You, that You will show us that loving and serving you is all we need because you will do the rest!  Amen.