I have been learning so much this semester and it’s so hard to absorb it all. So in order to absorb some of it, I have decided to write it down. God has blessed me beyond measure in bringing me here to Moody. I hope that I can bless you by sharing just a little bit of what He has taught me thus far.
Recently, God has been teaching me so much about joy—true joy—that only comes from Him. In the past, I have misinterpreted the joy that I gain from others as true joy. However, I will not have true joy if I base my joy on the circumstances around me or on the people around me. True joy is only gained through spending time with the Giver of joy—the Father. A few weeks ago, while I was sitting in Bible Intro, Dr. Saur talked about a time in his life where he was just in a rut. He didn’t have any consistent sin in his life, but he just was not happy. His girlfriend, who is now his wife, called him out on his disposition, which encouraged him to think about why he was feeling so dissatisfied. He concluded that his dissatisfaction was a result of inconsistent time with the Lord. How can he have joy when He is not clinging to the One who is the Author of joy? He pledged to himself that he would begin to get up just fifteen minutes early every morning to spend time in prayer and Bible study. He consistently spent this time with God each morning, and eventually, fifteen minutes turned into thirty, thirty turned into forty-five, and forty-five turned into an hour. Through this time, he began to exhibit the joy of the Lord once again and became more focused on God and the gifts that He has undeservedly given him. As I was sitting in this classroom, I felt as if Dr. Saur was talking about me. Convicted and yet encouraged, I realized that I had put my hope and joy into temporary pleasures that are just cheap substitutes for the true joy and fellowship that I can have with the Creator of the universe. I had been settling for leftovers instead of reveling in an over satisfying feast.
Philippians 4:4-7 says this, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be made known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” As I have strived to cultivate my relationship with the Lord since rediscovering this blessed truth of gaining joy through Christ, I have been so encouraged by these verses. These verses exhort us to rejoice in the Lord always. Not sometimes, not when it’s easy, not when life is good, not when we feel like it—always. In the midst of struggles, in the midst of pain, in the midst of heartache, in the midst of busyness, in the midst of confusion—REJOICE. Why? Because the Creator of the universe longs to know us personally! Because the Holy Father has sent His Son to save us! Because we are guaranteed eternal life! Because we have nothing to fear in this temporary dwelling on earth! I have come to realize that I am so focused on my temporary struggles that I get distracted by the lies of the devil and forget the truth of God’s Word. What selfishness and foolishness! My response to struggles should be the exact opposite of this. In the midst of pain and struggling, I must grasp and cling onto the truths that I know—that God is good, that God is always good, that God is faithful and able to carry me through. These truths have been turning over and over in my mind over the past few weeks. I have learned that one of the best ways to combat the lies of the devil is to remember that in the midst of hardship, God is still good. What comforting words to know that God is good even when our circumstances are difficult. Our circumstances cannot adjust our view of God, because even when life is hard, He never changes.
This passage also encourages us to throw our anxieties and worries before the throne of God. It tells us not to be anxious about anything. I am so often struck by anxiety. However, this passage tells us to throw that burden before the foot of the cross. Better yet, it even tells us to present our requests to God with thanksgiving. Not only are we supposed to surrender our worries, anxieties, and burdens before the Lord, but we are to do so with thanksgiving. And when we do this, God promises us peace. His perfect peace. What an amazing promise. Praise the Lord. God is good.
