joy in the meantime

Good morning!

Joy- tis the season to hear all about it. Right? What if you don’t have joy or what if you only get bursts of joy but then you fall back into a slump?

Do we even know what joy is? Or how to get it?

Let me give you a snippet of a message our pastor gave in church and see if you follow the notes I took……and that my 22-year-old daughter and I discussed thereafter! She felt the impact as well.

Joy: the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.

This definition takes into account that everything is not all right all the time. However, it is a core belief that can settle into our souls. That belief can help us “in the meantime” (what we call ‘advent’) when everything is not alright.

There are 3 ways we can find joy in the meantime.

First, God’s Presence can give us joy in the meantime. He came in the flesh to be with us. It was His choice to choose this route to relate to and to save us. Because of this, we can be sure that He is with us now and that we can bank on the fact that He is coming again. 

Second, God’s Power is especially obvious when we feel powerless. He tells us not to be anxious about anything because He is all-powerful. One of the most reassuring things our pastor said was that the original language that is translated “anxiety” is to care about something excessively. He doesn’t say we won’t have anxious thoughts but that we are not to stay in that anxiety. The antidote is prayer and praise.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

Third, God’s Promises reveal that we will be able to get through what we are going through. 

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

The words “through Him” come from a text that means to keep a “fixed position.” and the original language for “strengthens me” means that He “causes us to be able” or to have the “capacity.” 

Our fixed position is to hold our faith in what God promises and know that He will make us able.

Because of these things: God’s Presence, Power and Promises, we can have joy in the meantime!

Blessed Advent and Christmas-time to you! Whether you are in the fullness of joy or in the meantime, may you know the depth of His love for you!