A Prayer for Joy
Do you ever feel like joy hides like an elusive toddler? You can hear it laughing, but you can’t seem to find it? This week’s prayer for joy will help.
Life contains joys and sorrows. It brings us times of sweet fellowship and bitter loneliness. And sometimes these happen all in the same day!
Discovering joy, holding joy, and experiencing joy. We long for it. And it rests simultaneously with our sorrows and disappointment.
We can know joy even when we know pain because joy is a fruit that God’s spirit grows within us. And holding onto it in the midst of difficulties takes place when we turn out eyes to the Lord, set our hearts on him, and hold fast to courage.
Scripture
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Some thoughts
This verse hangs on a piece of art in my home. I walk by it multiple times a day, but it’s easy to let the assurances of it flow off my heart rather than into my heart. But if we were to let the truths it contains simmer in our hearts, joy wells up within.
God is with us. In the fire, in the rain, in the sun, and in the beauty in our lives.
He saves with might. His strength is directed towards us to save, not to harm, not to disappoint, but to help.
He delights in us. Not because he’s God and he should, but because he wants us. He wants you and me to know the delight he has for us.
His love quiets our hearts. Our inner worlds of worry and concerns, doubts and fears stirs up anxiety cyclones in our thoughts. But his love quiets us so we rest assured in his presence and love.
He sings over us. He rejoices because of us. This truth arrests me in my tracks because I don’t feel worthy to be sung over. I know my weaknesses and tendencies and I believe I’m worthy to be chastised, not sung over.
But this is grace and mercy in action. Let’s open our hands and in humility receive it the joy God longs to give us.
The Prayer for Joy
Holy God,
We praise your name and give you glory! You are with us and mighty to save. We need you now, right in the middle of our life’s stuff, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let us rest in you as you quiet our hearts and doubts. You are good and your kindness and mercy is forever.
May you be so very real to us in this moment and let us hear your song for us. As you delight in us, we delight in you and know joy. Joy is your gift to us, to carry us through the sorrows and pains, to hold us together when we face our darkest nights. You are our joy and we rejoice because of who you are.
We love you and give you glory and honor and all praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Joy Series:
An Article to help you respond in grace to judgmental people:
How to Answer a Judgmental Person With Grace