Joy

Scripture: "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy" (I Peter 1:8)

I was at a women's retreat last weekend and had a great time. I rode up with a couple of close friends, and it was a wonderful time of getting away as well as a time to connect with each other and God outside the church walls.

This year's theme for the retreat was "Falling Into Joy". What I took away from the women who spoke - I felt compared to share through my blog.

Joy. What is joy? One woman, a dear friend of mine, described it this way: "Joy does not come from our circumstances, but from Who is standing beside us in our circumstances."

There is so much more she shared, but I only have so much space and only so much of your attention span. So I will only share what I took from the women who shared at the retreat.

So Who is standing beside us but the One who has chosen each one of us by His own free will; Christ! In Him we have the hope of salvation, eternal life with Him no matter what happens here on earth. We always have Someone to lean on in our time of greatest need. How can you not see the joy in that?

A scripture that was shared came from Habakkuk 3:17-18 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines ..... yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

It's really no wonder people think Christians are wack! Through our trials, struggles and the disasters we experience in life, we hold onto God unceasingly with the assurance that he will see us through every difficulty life can send our way. And some of us can actually see the sunshine in the midst of the worst storm.

It can't be explained, but it is an experience. The more connected to God we are, the more we are able to endure the circumstances of this world, letting them roll like water off a duck's back. I'm not saying we don't hurt, cry or grieve. What I am saying is that with Christ, we can overcome any circumstance because it's only through His strength that we can get through the tough times.

I described a few blogs back how I basically lived out a bad country song. I lost my truck, my job, and my mom passed away within a few months of each other. Had I not been connected to God in those days, I'm certain I would have wanted to check out of this life early. But looking back, through all the disappointment and sorrow, I remember being unusually joyful because I knew my God was in control and He'd see me through to better times, no matter how dark it got, no matter how much more I lost.

Joy. Also described by my friend as "Irrepressable hope". I really loved that definition.

I'm not crazy, although I'm sure some of my friends would beg to differ. 8-) But I know Who is standing beside me in every circumstance. I know without a shadow of doubt, that God has said to me as in Hebrews 13:5 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

He comforts me in my time of need, I feel his presence when I'm afraid, and when I fall, He picks me up. He truly is my Rock.

Prayer: Lord, comfort those who are in distress right now, and help them to find joy beyond their circumstances. Help them to place their troubles in Your hands, and give them the strength only you can provide to get through these tough times. Help them to rejoice in their Savior because You will bring them through whatever unpleasant circumstances they are in right now. Help us to minister to those in need.

Prayer request: Lift up all those who need to feel the Lord's touch in their lives.