From Beside the Still Waters (a devotional) ...

 

Fullness of Joy - Read: Psalm 16

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." - Psalm 16:11

We all want to experience joy, especially the true joy that comes from God.  There are times in our lives when it's easy to be joyful - we have plenty, we are in good health, and few things interrupt our comfortable lives.  But that is not always a reality.  Sometimes we face difficult situations, and then it's hard to be joyful.  So what can we do if we are going through a trial and our joy fades in the midst of it?

Today's key verse says, "In thy presence is fulness of joy."  From this we understand that joy comes from being in the presence of God.  But how can we be in God's presence?  One of the best ways is to come to the Lord in prayer.  We need to bring our troubles before God and lay them at His feet.  We must let Him carry our burdens.  Reading the Word of God is another important step for being in God's presence.  Prayer is the way that we can talk to God, and reading the Bible is one way that God talks to us.

We must also be surrendered to what God allows to come into our lives.  When we say, "Lord, You know what's best; I'm willing to do whatever you ask of me," then God will be with us and His joy will fill our hearts.  This joy is so great that even in the midst of extreme difficulty, we can have peace because we know that all will be well.  Our hearts may still be burdened, but we are at rest.  In this condition we can experience the true joy that comes only from God.  Let us take courage and press on toward Heaven, the place of perfect joy.

 Daniel Hulbert - Deer Lodge, TN

Jesus, joy of living, Jesus, joy the best!

In our sorrows giving comfort. peace, and rest.

- Gotthold Schmid