“You look happy today.” The statement caught me off guard. It had been a long day: cold and gray, and a bit lonely. Being particularly happy wasn’t even on my mind. But as I took a moment to think about it, I realized that I was happy – with a deep, true happiness that had been missing for a while. Yes, it’s wonderful to be feeling well physically, but it went deeper than that. It was more than just happiness. I had joy. And since I love to think about things (a lot, often to the point of overthinking), I continued to think over the reasons for that joy. And that’s what I want to share with you today.
It’s a bit difficult to know where to start, but I’ll do my best to make sense. My last post talked about meditating on God’s Word. It was something that I had been mulling over for about a week, and that focus has continued. There’s the passage in Psalm 1 that says, “Blessed is the man . . . [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Then I came across a passage in Joshua 1. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth: but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Josh. 1:8). To be honest, often when I’ve thought of “meditating on God’s Word,” I’ve thought that it means that not another thought crosses your mind, just always Scripture. And I figured it was impossible, at least for me, because I have a life to live, a job to do, stuff like that.
But in the last week, I’ve come to a different understanding. A friend of mine had talked with me this summer about something she called “Garden Time.” I don’t remember all the details, but the basic idea was about one’s relationship to God, as a believer. Often, we think of ‘time with God’ as some sort of checklist item to cross off. “I’ve read my (verse, chapter, whatever) in the Bible, and prayed. Now for the rest of my day.” But my friend encouraged me to picture walking through a beautiful garden with my best, closest friend. I wouldn’t be rushing to get there, walk a few steps, quickly fling a few words to my friend, and dash back out. No, it would be a treasured time, a time of sharing the heart, a time to listen to that dear friend, a time of sweet, meaningful fellowship. And that is how my time with God can and should be. Because God is the best friend one can have, and we have the opportunity to walk in fellowship with Him. It’s a time to remember that my relationship doesn’t end with the “amen” at the end of my prayer. I can walk with God throughout the day, talking to Him, sharing my joy and disappointment, desires and frustrations. I can rejoice in His goodness, rest in His guidance, and still do the tasks I am responsible to accomplish.
A few days ago, the same friend reminded me of those truths, and as I began walking with God like that again, I came to a new understanding of meditating in God’s Word. It doesn’t mean not another thought enters your mind, but rather that you keep coming back to it in your “free thought time.” It goes hand in hand with John 15. Jesus is speaking to His disciples and He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. . . . Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. . . . If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” Just as the branches of a grape vine can do nothing except they are attached to (abiding in) the vine, so we also can do nothing to glorify God unless we are abiding in Him by letting the Holy Spirit lead us through prayer and meditating on God’s Word.
You may be wondering, “How does this have anything to do with joy or happiness?” Well, if we continue reading in John 15, we find the next verse says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” This joy is not dependent on sunshine, flowers, ‘good days,’ getting things we desire. It’s not dependent on physical health, the political climate, or positive feedback. The joy Jesus is offering is not wiped out by disappointments, disasters, or disease. The joy offered to us comes as we abide in the love of God; and nothing can separate us from His love. Romans 8 lays it out plainly. “Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
As we face life today, we may feel that the only thing we see is God’s judgment, and it seems that there’s no opportunity to find joy or peace, no way to abide in God’s love. Habakkuk, a prophet who God sent to warn the people of Israel of impending judgment addresses this very topic. He says, “O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. . . . Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” God does not change. He is the God who shows mercy to those who love Him and sends difficult times to turn people back to Him so He can bless and restore them. If we turn our hearts to seek Him, and walk with Him, abide in Him, God will fill us with His joy and peace. He will give us strength, and lead us higher, draw us ever closer to Him.
In times past, I’ve seen others who are experiencing this wonderful relationship with God. I’ve pictured them free, joyful, dancing in the sunlight and warmth of closeness with God. And I’d see myself in a cage, held back by fears, insecurities, things I was unwilling to give up. I could see the door to the cage was open and I wanted so much to step out and join the others in freedom and joy. But I couldn’t bring myself to take the first step: let go of the bars that I clung to though they imprisoned me. They were my security, my norm, what I was comfortable with. I was afraid of what would happen, of how life would change, of my vulnerabilities being exposed.
Dear friend, if you find yourself in a cage like mine, I encourage you to taste and see that the Lord is good. For every one of the cage bars that you cling to, God has something so much better. The things that form your cage are mere imitations of the blessings God has for you. Not only do they hold you back from the freedom, joy, and love God created you for, but they leave you desperately grasping for ‘just a bit more,’ as you realize time and again that the things you thought you’d find just aren’t there. Let go of those bars and embrace the love of God. There’s no reason to remain in bondage. The door is wide open. Come out and join me and so many others in the sunshine of God’s love. Find His joy to sustain you through the storms. Share with others the freedom you enjoy. Let your soul rejoice in the Lord!
Hope in truth 