Has Anyone Seen My Joy?Sample

Joy and the Lord

Maybe you were hoping that this devotional would give you a simple three-step process to achieve joy. Many have tried to do this throughout the centuries and have failed because there is only one place where joy can be found: God’s presence.

In Psalm 56, we find an interesting picture of mankind: an empty vessel being filled with joy by God. Just like a car, God knows we need fuel to keep running. Sometimes, we go through our days struggling to keep our heads up while God is inviting us to be filled by Him. Is your joy tank low? God can fill it up. He is the true source of joy that the world is after.

But don’t be mistaken; God’s joy has an address. As 1 Chronicles tells us, joy is in His dwelling place. First, that is the church, in the gathering of those who proclaim His name. He gave us the church for a reason, and rejoicing is one of them. Are you struggling to find joy? Lift up your hands, worship God, proclaim His name, and let Him fill you. Don’t expect to be filled with joy when you are not open to receiving it from God. As Psalm 89 declares, the ones who rejoice are the ones who learn to acclaim His name.

Second, we find joy in each other as temples of the Holy Spirit. One of the best testimonies we have of God’s joy is each other. Whatever church you might attend, I’d like you to think of some of the people you know. For sure, you can think of a joyful person who is always glad to receive others with an open smile and is ready to say something about God’s goodness. That is not the product of material blessings; it’s the joy of the Lord. We usually don’t know what happens in these people’s lives, but I can assure you they are not perfect.