Wednesday’s Word
By Dorette Saunders
Like most things in life, being a Christian takes dedication and commitment. Yet, the Scriptures teach us that we are not doing the journey alone. We have help from God in the person of the Holy Spirit, and we can also find help from the community of believers with whom we fellowship.
And while some may describe Christianity in somber tones, getting to know our Lord, and walking with him daily, is a relationship that brings more joy than our hearts can ever imagine.
Like a museum featuring the many faces of God, we meet God as holy and majestic. A God who demands our respect and loyalty and will not share his glory with anyone else. A God who declares:
“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3, NIV).
And yet, another frame shows God singing over us, his beloved, in joyful tones, simply because he loves us!
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17, NIV)
Is he a tenor or a bass? Oh, we will never know. But God who does all things well, can be the whole orchestra and chorus just because he can!
The naysayers tell us that the world is filled with trouble and heartache, and indeed it is. But there is also joy if we but look for it. Look for the good! Don’t let Satan steal your joy with his constant attacks and self-effacing doubts.
We are a tapestry that God weaves. Not all threads are the same color or the same strength, or even the same size. But we are curated by the same artistic director who weaves us according to the plan and the pattern he has in mind.
Who else can prepare a feast for you while your enemies watch? (Psalm 27:5).
Who else steps into your life, to remind you that he is the God of yesterday, but he is also the God of today, and even of tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8)?
Who turns our feeble praise into an anthem of rejoicing? Who turns the day-to-day events into little miracles of joy to take on our journey?
Were you disappointed in an event, only to later discover it was a blessing in disguise? Did God show up where you least expected him? In the pages of a 40-year-old diary? In a hospital room? In the smile of a total stranger? In a Bible verse you had seen many times before, but hadn’t really “seen”?
Look for the good. Apply grace to every situation. And seek God in all things. When you find him, you’ll definitely find a wellspring of joy!
PRAYER: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV).
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