Reading through the Bible, it is very clear that God calls us to be joyful people. Our lives are meant to be defined by gratitude and thanksgiving, worship and praise, rejoicing and love.
But what about during our seasons of trial? What about when it feels like everything is falling apart around us? When I’m hurting, grieving, or feeling defeated and overwhelmed by life?
We are still called to find our joy in the Lord and to worship him.
At these times, finding joy in the Lord is a spiritual discipline. In today’s episode, I’ll break down the simple and powerful truths of Psalm 100 so that we can better understand how to find joy even in our hardest moments, and why that is so meaningful in our lives.
Join me, friend, and let’s be encouraged by God’s Word together.
Listen to Episode 20:
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Do you sometimes struggle to be consistent in reading the Bible? Does prayer sometimes feel dry or boring?
You are not alone.
One of the hardest things about finding our joy in the Lord is that He is not visible to us. We can’t give him a hug. We can’t hear the sound of his voice offering comforting words.
But He is present! He is speaking. If you want to deepen your time with the Lord and your spiritual growth, get your FREE copy of the Holy Habits 45-Day Bible & Prayer Challenge right now. You’ll get 45 days of Bible readings, questions to help you dig into God’s Word, and prayer prompts. By the end of 45 days, you’ll have a new habit – a holy habit – of meaningful time with the God who created you, loves you, and offers the greatest joy possible to you.
P.S. … you may also find my Recommended Resources for Spiritual Growth helpful.
Episode Show Notes
As Christian women, we know that God is our greatest source of joy and peace.
At least, we know it with our minds. But what about our hearts?
It is hardest to rest in the Lord, to find joy and experience his peace, when our hearts are hurting.
Yet the reality of life in this broken world is that we will all go through seasons of pain. We will deal with grief. We will face hard emotions, illnesses, disappointment, and troubles.
Still, God calls us to find joy – to rejoice in him at ALL TIMES.
How? Why?
In Psalm 100, we see some wisdom and encouragement to help us understand how to find our joy in the Lord even during hard circumstances.
- First, we see the call to joy and to worship the Lord.
- The psalm moves into highlighting one reason why – because we know God and we have a relationship with him. He is the source of our joy.
- We are then called to give thanksgiving and praise to God… which focuses us on joy.
- The psalm closes with another reason why we find our joy in the Lord – because we know his character. He is good. His love endures forever. He is faithful through all generations.
Even our hardest seasons of life will not last forever. Our emotions will change. Our situation will shift over time.
What won’t change?
God.
His character. Our relationship with him. His promises.
His joy.
May the Lord surround you with his peace and comfort during the hard seasons. And may you press into him – knowing him, resting in him, praising him – to find your joy in him even during those hard seasons.
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Don’t forget your FREE copy of the Holy Habits 45-Day Bible & Prayer Challenge!
And check out my Recommended Resources for Spiritual Growth.
As a disclaimer: I am a licensed therapist but this podcast is not therapy. It is not personal advice to your specific situation. If you believe professional counseling may be helpful for you in this season of life, you may find this article on the Love Your People Well website helpful.
