The Joy Of The Lord

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." - Isaiah 12:2-3

My most recent entry dealt with trials and difficulties of life. The Scripture before us deals with joy. This is our theme today. Have you ever noticed that when difficulties come, we often loose sleep just pondering the weightiness of the matter, but when blessings come we rarely stay awake pondering the joy that God has seen fit to bestow upon us. Why such a disparity in thinking? If we are honest, I believe it stems from a sense of self-centeredness. Much like the ten lepers only one returned to say thanks.

Paul made it clear, as does Isaiah, that joy does not come from circumstances, but from drawing deeply from the well of salvation. Paul's joy seemed to be the greatest during his most difficult times. He tapped into the reality that life is short and eternity is long. He dwelled on the eternal not the temporal. He was thankful in all things.

Have you ever taken the time to reflect on the following? We are headed for a perfect home. There will be no sin. There will be no greed or anger. There will be no rebellion. We will be in constant bliss and joy. We will not be floating around in the clouds. We will have physical bodies and we will have great responsibilities here in this present physical world. These are the things that Paul pondered when he said, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). This is what kept Peter going as he pondered this truth: "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:18).

The Lord has been faithful in His revelation regarding our salvation so that we can cling to it daily for our joy. Take a little time this week and meditate on those great truths. Without hope there is no joy. That's the way I see things.