1 Peter 1:6,8 / New Living Translation: "Be truly glad. there is wonderful joy ahead. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy"
Life is full of pain and sorrow. Jesus, described as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, was no stranger to mourning, weeping and at one point even declared in agony that he was sorrowful unto death. Jeremiah cried out that his heart was sick within him and his sadness could not be healed. Paul carried burdens so far beyond his strength that he despaired of life. David's pain groans off the pages of the psalms, and Job went so far as to say he wished he had died at birth.
Can joy be found within the piercing anguish of loss? The purest form of joy is often experienced in the arms of sorrow. Joy flows in the middle of the darkness as we trust in God's perfect ways, whispering through our tears, "Not my will, but yours be done."
Joy is clinging to our Savior with the knowledge that Jesus is still who he says he is, even when our pain feels overwhelming. Joy is going to the cross of Christ to sustain us, to give us hope, and to receive his grace and mercy for the days ahead. Delighting in the Lord in the midst of heartache doesn't only produce joy, it is joy!
Which circumstance in your life is giving you the opportunity to experience joy in the Lord even as you walk through difficulty?
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