Seven words that made my heart spring up. This is notable because my heart was far from springy – rather, it was under-couraged – as in “I’m not too excited about what lies ahead in my day.”
“…the joy of God will fill you…” Isaiah 41:16
A little background on these seven words – they were spoken 2,700 years ago to a group of people who were under-couraged as a result of poor decisions made over and over which netted them to be way out of sync like a body in need of an adjustment by a chiropractor or a body and soul in the process of being destroyed by a lifestyle of alcohol abuse.
God spoke into the future to these people – he speaks into the future of people today. 2,700 years ago God was saying in effect “Get a spiritual adjustment, or drop the bottle and pursue a lifestyle of health and moderation and love.” The result of this u-turn is that the joy of God will fill you.
How cool is that?
What makes this so personal as I read was that I was that person – in need of a spiritual adjustment, who needed to drop the bottle and a lot more unhealthy things. Letting go of them I was able to take hold of a new way of living. And like compound interest the joy of living well began to fill me.
How cool is that?
What makes this personal for me today is I need daily reminders, almost moment to moment reminders that I am not alone, that God is in, with, and for me. What this means is I can respond to life from a place of safety, of power, of courage. Why? Because the residual aftertaste of the old way of living no longer is with me – what IS with me now is the joy of God.
Jesus put it another way “Come to Me you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.
And so my prayer for you and me is that we would do just that – come to God, turn in the old way for a new way and over time life with joy.