The first time it happened I was in terrible pain, in bed and unable to move. I don’t remember if I prayed or what I prayed, but God gave me shocking joy.
The next time it happened was during an early morning phone call. Our daughter and her friend had disappeared. Perhaps I breathed a prayer; I don’t remember. All I recall is a flood of sudden, unexpected, this-does-not-make-sense joy.
Joy is from the Holy Spirit. It’s usually tied to a firm conviction that God is in control and choosing to believe it rather than give in to doubt. Joy is always available, but I can turn it off with worry, fear, anger, doubt and even distraction. Yet God used these two incidents (and others since), to show me He controls joy. He can give it whenever it is needed to carry me through anything and everything, even pain and fearful trials.
The back pain soon went away. We also found our daughter and her friend, unharmed and safe. But for both incidents, joy was my sustaining grace. Because of it, I was able to bear the pain. Because of it I was also calm and a support to the parents of our daughter’s friend, a couple who did not have faith in God. Joy is an amazing gift.
The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk knew it. His book starts out with a prophecy of doom and gloom. He is perplexed and dismayed at what God is going to do. But he ends the book with this:
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deers feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”
No crop, no harvest. No means to live. Most would think this situation hopeless, but Habakkuk knew the secret of joy—and he knew the God who can sovereignly bestow it.
No matter what is going on, the Lord knows how to sustain His people. He gives strength, even sure-footed agility, and the ability to scale the heights rather than fall victim to weakness, helplessness, and stumbling in the valley of despair.
Yes, I can choose joy, but sometimes God simply gives it to me, just to remind me that He is my Savior; He is in charge, and if need be, He will sustain me without any effort on my part.
2 comments:
Hi Elsie! i'm hoping that this exciting post means that joy has been bestowed on you today. I pray for you, all the time.
Thank you! Isn't there a book called "Surprised by Joy"? God is amazing!
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