Rejoicing, Thankfulness, and Prayer...
Rejoicing. Joy. Where'd they go? What happened? How do we get them back? Two things to consider: expectations and focus. Expectations are silently killing us. We are too much about our situations and involvements here on Earth. We want everything to be good, but things just aren't going to be perfect on this side of heaven. We long for heaven, but mistakenly try to make heaven on Earth, ahead of its time. We expect things to work out for our good and suit our plans and purposes. What if we surrendered our expectations and instead, lived with expectancy that God's plan is better than our own? What if we clamped our hand over our mouths when a complaint begins to form about our current situation, so that we recognized God is still sovereign? I believe it to be sinful when we complain like this. Our complaint seems to indicate we don't believe God is good or in control or have our best interest in mind. I reckon we are just inherently selfish and spoiled, expecting everything to go the way we wish. Even in this, God gives us grace. He doesn't mind us wrestling with Him as we process the difficulty, whether it be persecution, suffering, or disappointment. How many times have you seen God bring something amazingly good out of struggle, hardship, or challenge? If you've followed Him for any length of time, you have surely wracked up a few experiences to prove this truth. He is doing awesome things among the people He loves. Remember, He is still in the people business, and will do anything in His means to get them to heaven to be with Him. He faithfully proves this time and time again. So, lose the expectations. Exhale and let them go. Live with a watchful eye to what God might be doing and is going to do in your situations. The Lord is near! He's got His hands in everything around you. Remember your place in this relationship. We must decrease; He must increase. We are the lesser; He is the greater. We get that mixed up when expectations derail us. We think we know best. We put a quarter in the machine and expect a gumball to pop out. Let's work on living without expectations. See how many things you can let go, in faith that God is working behind the scenes. I believe this will relax us more and help us be content with our circumstances. We've been stressing too much about things that are beyond our control. We've been burdening ourselves with things never intended to be placed on our shoulders. Cast your cares upon the Lord. Allow Him to be in control and carry your burdens. Relax. Don't worry. Have faith. Watch Him go.
Which is more clear? Window 1 or Window 2? Remember the old eye doctor ploy when he would check your vision? Focus is also silently poking holes in our joy bucket. We tend to focus too much on our crises or on building our kingdoms here. God already knows about our crises. He knew about them before we did. He isn't surprised, as if the Devil slipped one past Him. Instead of focusing on our problems, we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus. Satan continually tries to distract us from our Father. He would have us focus on our problems and apply all of our efforts toward fixing those problems. Let's move our focus from imperfect situations to our perfect Father in Heaven. He's got this situation under control, even if it doesn't feel or look like it. In His perfect timing, He will bring about His will and purpose and plan. Focus on His character. Think about His awesome qualities and the truth about who He is. There's joy there.
So, joy is a choice then? Both focus and expectations are within our realm of choice. Sure, it's tough and it requires some discipline, training, and practice, but with His Holy Spirit to help, we can loose our grip on expectations and turn our focus to Him. That's how we get our joy back. There's joy in everything, but we have to look for it, through lenses of faith. He never promised this to be easy, but with God, He makes the impossible become possible. We can do it.
Take a look at John 15 to consider a third element. Jesus is saying that if we keep His commands we remain in His love. If we remain in His love, we are keeping His commands. Then our joy will be complete. There's over 600 commands in the Bible, but remember, He boiled them down to the two greatest commandments: Love God with all you've got and love other people the way He does. So, here's the third element in the formula to regaining joy: love. Do that love thing. That's God's will for us. Love the people that He loves. Love like He loves. Those are our best days of this life. That's the best way to live. When we love, there's joy- that fruit of the Spirit listed right behind Love in Galatians. Love is a verb. Do it!
"Feel free to wrestle with Me about your concerns. But remember that the goal is to come to a place of confident trust and transcendent Joy. You won't understand My mysterious ways, but you can find hope and help in My presence. I am your Strength!" (Jesus Always devo)
