Pure joy, God. It is pure joy to be Your child. While I don’t always feel joy, I can have this settled feeling in my soul if I simply come into Your Presence.
I keep coming back to the truth that You, You who created everything—the world I live in, the sun, the sky and nature, as well as my person, family and friends—that You care deeply about me and love me immensely. That You are intimately familiar with and involved in the details of my life. You care about the big things as well as the small, the most private—those that may be insignificant to others, those that occupy my mind and affect my mood, even when I don’t realize it.
That always brings me such comfort, even when things aren’t necessarily going well. Why? Well, because I’m not alone, and my view of my circumstances—the present moment and the future—is skewed and incomplete. You have a greater understanding than I do. You tell me in Your Word, that I should trust You and not my own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
I need to remember to get into Your Presence—to be with You. In that place, I can get grounded, feel safe and experience peace. I can speak out loud to You my joys, my worries, my sorrows and what occupies my mind.
You go before me, whatever I am experiencing, You knew it would occur. You are not surprised and You already have a plan. If I ask and do as the Proverb says—submit to You, You’ll show me the way and straighten my path. And because You don’t leave me to my own devices, You’ll give me the strength to walk it.
Thank You Jesus that You came to earth as a man, suffered, died on the cross, and rose again. Thank You for abolishing the old way of worshiping You; that I don’t have to do anything special; I don’t need to go to a special place or go through a ritual. That I can talk to You anytime and any place. You are with me always. I need only recognize Your Presence.
Holy Spirit, help me remember this, bring it to mind when I need it. In You I can have complete confidence and quietness of soul. This is the path I want to walk in life, to walk with You.
Joy, pure joy, Lord, it is to be with You, in Your Presence.
In the Precious Name of Jesus I pray.
Amen
