As followers of Christ, we look towards the future. We remind ourselves that although we face sorrows in our present, joy comes in the morning. This remembrance gives us something to hold on to. It helps us to lift our eyes from where we are now with hope. But, although it is true that joy is coming, I want us to know that we can also experience that joy right here…right now.
I feel that it’s important for us to spend some time on this subject, because when we become overly fixated on the future and the joy that we’re believing for, we are unable to receive the joy that God wants to give us right now.
I just finished having a conversation with someone very dear to me. They were frustrated because they’ve been waiting for God to answer a prayer for quite some time now. They’ve been wondering why it’s taking God so long. They’ve been trying to figure out why they’re in the same space of waiting. But, the thing is that God has moved so much in their life…and He is moving right now. I can see it. He is moving mountains, making preparations, and aligning the situation for what they are believing for. And it’s almost like they are blind to it.
When we focus on the future, we can’t see what God is doing in the present.
I have to be honest and tell you that I, too, have struggled with focusing on the future. So much so, that I would make myself physically sick, worrying about what was to come. I was young at the time, right out of high school, and I realized that I needed help…I realized that I needed to make a change. This is when I began my journey of seeking the Lord. And during that time, I found this little red book called Keep Calm and Trust God. It is filled with inspirational scriptures and quotes. And in this little book, I found a quote by Corrie Ten Boom. She said that, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.”
That quote hit me hard, and I realized that my thoughts were literally robbing me of my strength. My thoughts were robbing me of the opportunity to experience the blessings of God.
When we focus on the future, we forfeit our joy in the present.
I spent years in fear and anxiety. I spent years not living at all. But somewhere along the way, I made a decision. I decided that I would not allow anxiety to dictate my life. I decided that I would allow the Lord to renew my mind, so that I could receive the life of joy that He has for me.
Joy is found in the presence of God.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalms 16:11 NKJV)
We can find happiness in this world, but true joy can only be found in the Lord. In Him, we receive a fullness of joy that can’t be explained by our circumstances. In Him, we can be joyful, even when our lives are falling apart.
When my husband and I were separated, I went through the darkest season of my life. Many days I felt depressed; and at times, I felt hopeless. But…my days were not consumed by those feelings. I remember walking into work one morning, and after greeting my boss, he said, “Never stop smiling.” He said that my smile always brightened his day and that he would never know if I had something going wrong in my life. Now, the crazy thing is that everything was going wrong in my life. So how was I still able to be joy-full. How was I able to still feel joy and spread joy, even when it seemed like I had nothing to be joyful about?
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
I was still able to have joy in my heart because I was walking with the Spirit of God everyday all day. I spent my time reading His word, praying, and singing songs to Him. And as I spent time with Him, He renewed my mind.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJV)
The Holy Spirit changed my perspective. He allowed me to see my life through His eyes..and this filled my heart with Joy.
What do I mean?
Well as I said, my husband and I were going through it. But instead of focusing on the fact that things were falling apart, the Holy Spirit gave me a different focus. He showed me my marriage from His view. He showed me his plans for my husband, myself, and our family. And, He helped me to understand that I was His partner in bringing this vision to pass in our lives. So, Instead of feeling hopeless, I began to feel hopeful. I began to have joy because I knew that we were in the Lord’s hands.
We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. (Psalms 33:20-22 NLT)
I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. (Psalms 16:7-9 NLT)
The Lord is our fortress. Regardless of what we are going through, joy is available to us right here and now. But if we want to experience that joy in our lives, we must walk with the Holy Spirit. He is the one that can help us to understand where we are now, and where we are going. He is the one that enables us to have strength, peace, and joy through our trials. But that’s not all…
The Holy Spirit reveals the works of God.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. (John 16:13 NLT)
But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. (1 Corinthians 2:10 NLT)
Sometimes we get so consumed with the worries of life that we miss all that God has done for us. We don’t notice the many things that He saved us from. We don’t notice the little miracles that He performed along the way. We even miss the miracles that He is performing right now, before our eyes.
I can’t tell you how many revelations I’ve received from the Holy Spirit after the fact. There have been so many times that I’ve looked back and have been in awe of what God has done in my life.
For a moment, I want you to think about your own life. There’s no doubt you’ve been waiting on God. But I want to ask you how that wait is going? Have you been patient? Have you been able to have joy in the waiting? Or have you been fixated on the joy that awaits you in the future?
If you find yourself so fixated on the future that you are unable to find joy right now, allow the Holy Spirit to change your perspective. Allow Him to renew your mind, so that you can see what He sees. Once you remain in His presence, He will reveal Himself to you. He will show you the marvelous things He has done for you…things that you weren’t able to comprehend in the past. And then, He will show you how He is moving in your life right now. Today, make a decision. Decide that you will not allow your thoughts of the future to affect your present. Instead, you will receive all that God has for you right now…His love, His peace, His joy in the waiting.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for calling me to purpose. Today, I have been reminded that because joy is found in your presence, it is available to me each and every day…regardless of my circumstances. So right now, I am making the decision to grab ahold of this gift that you’ve made available to me. As I walk with you, I pray that you would enable me to lay down any expectations and anxiety that I may have. I ask that you give me the strength to trust you with my future, so that I can walk in joy today. With your help, Holy Spirit, I declare that I will no longer walk in fear. Instead, I will walk in peace and joy as I wait on you. I love you. In Jesus name, amen.
Kommentare