When was the last time you sat in the presence of God and asked Him for His joy? We forget that God gives patience, strength and mercy but He also wants to fill us with joy!
You make known to me the path of life;
Psalm 16:11
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
The list of reasons why we need to spend time with God is long. Everything from strengthening our relationship with Him, to being strengthened in our inmost being! But when we spend time with our Heavenly Father we also are filled with His joy.
Drawing close to God is what fills our cups and breathes life into us. God’s joy is more than just the happiness that we receive. It is life-giving. It is strengthening. It is love.
Moms Need God’s Joy
I can’t count the number of times I’ve needed God’s joy and forgotten to ask for it! It astounds me sometimes that I ask for all the things I think I need but forget that during this beautiful motherhood journey what I need is joy.
Children are joyful and we should be able to see that, but it gets lost in the whining, bickering and scuffed walls. God wants us to find peace and rest during this time just as much as He wants empty nesters to find joy in the quietness that comes after raising children.
So we need to do two things:
- Spend time in the presence of God
- Ask Him to fill us with His joy
God’s Joy is His Promise of Love
Where there is God, there is love and where there is love, there is joy. God promises His love to us and thus we receive His joy too.
Isn’t that wonderful? Our Lord gives us a lifetime supply of renewable strength. There’s no payment required, all we have to do is be in His presence. God renews and restores us when we draw close to Him.
These can be times of blessings but times of pain will also remind us of God’s goodness. We usually attribute joy to happy things, when we are feeling good but God offers joy even in the midst of sorrow. Or while you are standing in the middle of the kitchen with freshly made whipped cream splattered over everything.
There can be joy in all of it!
God’s joy is the strength we need to endure the painful or messy experiences we are enduring. It might not look or feel pretty but we know that God’s comfort will carry us through.
And I’ll be honest, if you’ve sprayed your one-year-old with whipped cream, you need to laugh about it a little bit.
It is in these moments when we are in the presence of God that our relationship grows. That is when He tells us great and wonderful things. When we have leaned on Him, laughed with Him and drawn strength from Him!
Spend Time in the Presence of God
God’s presence is where we find love, joy, peace, comfort and rest. And we need to spend time there to be fully renewed. It is when we start to run low that we see struggles instead of enjoyment.
Talk with God throughout your day. Intentionally seek Him in your activities. Wake up a little bit early to spend a few quiet moments with Him. However you want to do it, actively take time to be in His presence.
And while you are enjoying His presence, enjoy His joy as well!
Find strength in the Presence of God. Let Him fill your cup and strengthen you during whatever situation you are experiencing! God is good all the time, so bring that goodness into your life!
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