WATCHWORD:
You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11
Meditation:
Got Joy?
And in a recent Watchword, I closed with the following prayer:
Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your Word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
As I thought about that prayer, it caused me to wonder how do we receive the seed of your Word through the Holy Spirit within? I have no answer. Do you think you’re a joyful person? You know one of those people who is so nice to be with, who seems to incorporate you into whatever they’re doing and you sense that it’s genuine and filled with love. There is a joy-filled tenor to the way they live life.
I don’t fit into that category. I find myself nervous and not knowing what to say in crowds and I’ve often said I would rather host a party or a gathering, rather than simply attend one. I’d rather be the one that walks around greeting people, smiling, saying how are you doing? Can I get you anything? “Have you tried the deviled kidneys or perhaps magical mystery balls”. Then I’m off to a different group still smiling, still welcoming. That’s kind of Stan at a party. Perhaps I have fooled a few, or myself.
But, you may ask, what does that have to do with joy or being joyful? Joyce Meyer, in one of her evening devotionals, makes this statement in response to the questions ‘What is joy? and What is joy based on?’ She says: Joy is defined as a shout! A proclamation that can manifest itself suddenly in singing, or a calmness, a sense of delight. Ever have a spontaneous time of singing to the Lord in joy? I have.
For the past week I have been sick, not with Covid or RSV but with just a bad cold that has caused me to constantly cough and sneeze, runny nose — you know the routine. One morning, as I was making coffee (and coughing), I had the urge to sing! Between coughs! Seriously, I sang, ‘Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place’, and just the thought of that, and the image of me, looking like crap, coughing like a fool, and now singing with joy that the Lord is in this place! It made me laugh. It was a shout! It was a proclamation and it brought a calmness and a delight to my morning. Joy in the morning. Hallelujah!
How about you? Ever been overcome with inexplainable joy? Joy not based on your circumstances. We may confuse joy and happiness but happiness is based on what’s happening to you. Joy is different. Joy is like a deep well on the inside of you. It is not the fruit of your circumstances. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
No matter what you are facing in life, you can have joy in the midst of it. In my kitchen I experienced that. As I went day after day feeling put-upon by this darn virus, I always came back to the fact that I am a child of God, and this is just another day in the life — a perfect God-given life.
My hope and my wish for you during this advent season is that despite the circumstances you may be going through, you’ll stay tuned to the Almighty in all that you do. Remember, surely the presence of the Lord is in all of it. God bless you merry ladies and gentlemen. May you rest in the hope of the season. So be it.
A Movie suggestion:
Yesterday as I coughed and turned into a couch potato, I settled on a movie, that turned into a warm-hearted, chaotic, Netflix, delight: Feast of Seven Fishes. Stay to the end, you will love it! The Feast is actually a traditional Italian-Ameican Christmas Eve celebration, and oh boy, what a celebration! Enjoy.
Closing Prayer:
Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your Word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
