“The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.” (Psalm 28:7)
JOY. Even seeing the word lifts my mood. “My heart leaps for JOY.” I long for the place where my heart leaps for joy. But how do we find it? Especially when we often live with pain and fatigue that so easily drags us down?
“My heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him.”
My heart trusts Him. Trust in Him, and I am helped. The scripture gives us this answer. This is the way to have a joyful heart in spite of monumental pain. We might be making fiev steps forward and two steps back in this journey toward joy, but at least we are going forward. I know that for many of us, our circumstances are rough. But that does not mean we have to live “under” the circumstances, does it?
Make it a point to look for joy. It can be a great distraction to try and find the bright spots of joy in your life. My kids laugh at how often they hear their Mom say, “But at least. . .”
Our income is very limited, “But at least we have a home.”
We have very little grocery money, “But at least a friend brought us a bag of produce from their garden.”
I colored my hair! No big deal to many, I know that. But even if my pain is big, “at least I can look and feel pretty without all of the gray!”
See? I am still stepping forward, having fresh produce, in a warm home, while finding joy, and feeling pretty.
There is even a scriptural command for joy. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always.
Pray continually;
Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Father, I am so thankful that You can “satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14 Please Father, help us to be so caught up in Your love, that we do not live “Under our circumstances.”
About the Author: Sandra Platt is a freelance writer, minister’s wife, and mother of 2 young adults. She lives in beautiful rural, southern Indiana. She has had Fibromyalgia for 20 years, and deals with many other painful health issues. She is so thankful for the many friends and “sisters” she has found through Rest Ministries and the SunRoom.
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com
How do you find joy in each day? I encourage you to keep a joy journal. At the end of each day, write down at least 5 joy spots that you find each day. For example, this morning, as I wheeled up to my desk for devotions, I saw a beautiful hummingbird resting on our phone line going right by my window.
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 