When Joy Lifts Its Head Again
When the blinds lift, joy returns to view.
Devotional Credit:
His Victorious Indwelling
Contributors quoted: William Kelly, Evan Hopkins, Elijah P. Brown
Photo Credit:
Unsplash
Why are so many believers downcast even when outward pressures are not the issue. Today’s reading compiled by Nick Harrison says it is often because we forget where we belong. We forget to look up into the realities that are ours in Jesus, and we begin to look on the world as a desirable place rather than a wilderness. When our gaze lowers, joy lowers with it.
The writers urge a different posture. Lift your eyes. Remember that streams of living water already run through those who belong to the Lord. Joy is not an optional extra. Joy is bound up with the fruit by which the Father is honored. Despondency is not humility. Persistent doubt closes the light of the Father’s smiling face more effectively than hardship ever could.
Jesus was not honored on earth in His first coming. He was rejected. If we are one with Him, we should not be surprised when the world does not applaud us either. That is not a cause for gloom. It is a reminder to set our hopes where He is, and to prize what is above over what seems impressive here.
Elijah P. Brown presses the point. Begin with the Lord, and continue with the Lord. Trusting Him today trains the heart to trust tomorrow. Doubts are like Amalekites, enemies that harass the journey. Faith does not court them. Faith answers them. In union with Christ we have peace at the start, and we may enjoy peace all the way.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
Lift your gaze. Hope in Me. Why are you downcast, My child. Praise is fitting for you, for I am your salvation and your God. Set your mind on things above where My Son is seated. Your life is hidden with Him in Me.
I give you living water within. In My presence there is fullness of joy. Joy in My Son is part of the fruit that brings Me honor. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice. Let your requests be known with thanksgiving, and My peace will stand guard over your heart and thoughts in Him.
Fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. I keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Me. The God of hope fills you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Doubt does not define you. Faith that overcomes the world is yours in My Son.
Do not seek your portion here. Your citizenship is in heaven. The things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Count it all joy when trials meet you, for steadfastness grows, and maturity follows. I am able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand with great gladness in My presence. Today belongs to trust. Tomorrow belongs to Me as well.
Scripture References: Psalm 42:5, Colossians 3:1–4, John 7:38, Psalm 16:11, Galatians 5:22, Philippians 4:4–7, Hebrews 12:2, Isaiah 26:3, Romans 15:13, 1 John 5:4, Philippians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 4:16–18, James 1:2–4, Jude 24, Psalm 34:5, John 16:33, Ephesians 1:3, Hebrews 4:14–16, 1 Peter 1:8–9
Real-Life Analogy
Think of morning blinds pulled shut after a long night. The room looks gray and heavy. Then you lift the cord, and daylight pours in. Nothing outside changed. Your perspective changed because the blinds moved.
When discouragement tries to settle, pause and raise the “blinds” of your attention. Speak from faith and say, Lord, I trust You to turn my gaze to Jesus right now, and to express Your gladness in me as I walk through this next task.Then answer one concrete moment with that posture. Send a cheerful text to encourage someone. Tackle the next small duty without complaint. Step outside for two minutes and thank the Lord for three gifts that are already yours in Him.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that in Jesus I am not defined by shadows. You have set my mind on things above, and You have placed Your joy within me. I praise You that peace does not depend on circumstances. It rests on the finished work of Your Son and the presence of Your Spirit. I receive this day as a gift. I affirm that You carry me in it, and I rejoice that Your joy can be seen through me.