You are joyful! You might be experiencing agony in your life right now, but in the midst of your grief, you know that God is in control of all things. 2 Corinthians 6:10 says that we are “sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” What does that mean?
Nehemiah 8:10 says that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
That’s because when we praise God in the midst of a hard time, God strengthens us with joy. We see this with Paul and Silas when they were beaten and thrown into prison. They sang hymns to God, surprising everyone in the jail (Acts 16: 22-30). How were they able to do that? God’s presence is what gives us joy even when we have to endure horrific circumstances. We do not rejoice in evil (1 Corinthians 13:6), but we rejoice that God will make all things right and will reward those who have suffered (1 Peter 3:14).
We can also praise God that He is developing character in us through the circumstances. James 1:2-3 says to count it all joy when you encounter various trials. God gives us endurance that will help us for the rest of our lives. He also burns off selfishness and any other instinctual sins that we do automatically without thinking. Fire is what makes us malleable in the hands of God.
“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” Psalm 94:19 NASB God consoles us and is present with us in the midst of trials. No matter what people people do to us, no one can take away our joy (John 16:22).
Even if you have lots of enemies who come against you with false accusations (Psalm 27:6), you can still sing joyfully before the Lord because He will vindicate you and fight your battles for you (Exodus 14:14; 2 Chronicles 20:17).
Other believers can also bring joy to our hearts because of their encouragement (2 John 1:12, Philemon 1:7). You can sense the presence of Jesus when you’re with a mature believer, and that person can pray over you, and your sorrow can lift so that you can rejoice even in the midst of an ongoing trial.
God promises to make all things right in the end, and He is sovereign over all things. 1 Peter 1:8 NASB says: “And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”
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My daughter and I created the artwork for this series from the course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!
