Week 25
Joy
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
Psalm 94:19
No one wants to be worried all day. We all want to live freely with no worries about anything. But as we face various pressures that life brings us, few can live easily and happily. The Bible was born in conflict: from slavery in Egypt to wandering and grumbling in the wilderness; from living under wicked and oppressive kings to the worse horrors of invasion and exile; from the apostles being persecuted, imprisoned, and martyred to the Son of God himself being brutally crucified. We shouldn’t be surprised when Scripture feels more familiar when our circumstances feel more difficult. I relate our Karen people’s stories to God’s stories from the Bible. When persecution comes, or peace collapses, God’s words swell with unusual strength and sweetness. From the verse we can see that when we feel worried, God is our only reliance, and that only God can make us from worried to joyful. When our wounds are deep, God’s healing goes deeper. When our troubles are broad, His help runs broader. When our cares are many, his consolations are more.
Gracious God, when life is especially hard and we feel anxious, help us to find joy in Your unfailing promises. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.