Finding True Joy

5/11/2016

“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For You shall not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:5-11

This Psalm has been on my heart all week. I have been going through some challenging times at work and there have been times where I have failed to find much joy. But the Lord keeps bringing me back to these verses and reminding me that only in His presence is fullness of joy. Joy is the word that the Lord gave Candy for this year. Every year she asks the Lord to show her a word or character that should be her focus...so joy it is. Walking in joy doesn’t mean we don’t have struggles or disappointments. In fact, I think that is what the Lord is trying to impress upon my heart right now. In times of adversity, if we will set our eyes on Him we will be able to press on, and we will be able to do so with joy, knowing that He has our lives in His hands. He has a plan for our lives and that plan is good. Surrender to the Lord and trust Him; He will show you the path of your life. That path will take you to His right hand where there are pleasures evermore. Thank you Father!

2 Comments

Greg Smith

5/18/2016 07:27:49 pm

This caught my attention because... it's a lighthouse. Then I read it and it reminded me of an experience I had years and years ago.

I was traveling to Israel, waiting in New York for my flight in a couple of days. I'd walked from Oregon, getting rides from time to time... anyway, one afternoon I was walking around near Times Square and noticed I had a bit of a bad mood. Something was 'off'. It was like the Lord asked me, 'What do you want?' nice simple question. Thought of a minute, and what only God could give me. So, I asked for joy. "I want joy." an honest longing. Then it was like He said 'Go get a hot dog.' "But I don't want a hot dog, I want joy' and walked in the opposite direction of hot dog cart about a block and a half away.

Felt my mood worsen, scowling... Again, the Lord asked, 'What do you want?' "Joy" angry. "Go get a hot dog." kind, patient. "Fine." stubborn, unwilling. Turned around and went back to the stand I'd seen in the square. A couple of people in front of me, one a young gal, professional... "Are these any good?" I asked. "Best in town." she replied. "I've been here 18 months and his are the best." she said with a broad smile. She ordered and I watched as the old gentleman behind the cart quickly filled her order and rang her up. She walked off with a wave. "So... what would you like?" the man asked... "What she had." I answered. As I watched, "So, you have the best in town?" I asked, referring to the gal's comments. "Eh... what do I know?" he said with a slight jewish lilt. "you eat, you like... you tell your friends" and with a smile handed me the hot dog and soda, rang up the order... a dollar less... I looked surprised, he smiled warmly. I thanked him, walked a block to find a place to sit down and eat. I noticed people walking by smiling at me... I had such a smile, it was infectious... and I had joy.

Thank you for the reminder, may you find such joy!

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9/27/2017 06:33:01 am

No matter how much rich a person gets and roams all around for the search of happiness, the true happiness is always found in the worship of God. This blog is very well-written and worth-reading as this draws our attention to a very enlightening concept.

Finding True Joy

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