Media can be full of sad stories. Unintentionally I suppose. In these recent days, Ugandans have been frustrated by the OTT tax, Mobile Money tax, inflation, increasing dollar rates and fuel prices, as well as the failings of crops in certain parts of the country due to the scorching sun.
All these things can cause us to drop our faces, be upset, or lose hope that things will ever be okay. As Christians however, we do not grow weary due to the failings of this world.
Going Isaiah 65 this morning, my heart is lifted. I rejoiced and sang because the Lord our God reigns. It can be difficult to remind ourselves of this truth amidst the bad news we encounter on every media platform.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying” Isaiah 65:17-19 (NKJV).
Joy is the language of heaven. It is a transactional currency of God’s kingdom. The Apostle tells us that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom 14:17). He tells us to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4).
There is future joy, but it begins now. It starts when Christ receives you, adopts you into His fold, and indwells you. The key to daily rejoicing is knowing that He who is Joy Himself indwells you. God says, ‘I will joy in My People.’ God rejoices in you! Meditate on this as the source of your joy.
The Lord of Joy rejoices in us so that we may rejoice in Him. And we can lift our eyes beyond the hills, above the failing systems of this world because of this.
To be sure, Christians should desire for things in this world to be better. They should work towards improving the standard of living for their neighbors.
But Christians are those who know that the world is not as it should be due to sin. They also know that God through the Christ is restoring all things to newness.
Because we have this certainty, we work with hope. We rejoice. As we long for a time when ‘the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard’ in this world, we overcome the temptation to be stressed, to be bitter considering the current circumstances, because God joys in us!
Prayer
Lord God, I thank you for rejoicing in me. And today I choose to be glad in You regardless of my circumstances. I look to the new heavens and the new earth and know that whatever failings I see today in this world will end. I rejoice forever in what You create. I let go of the bitterness and frustration toward anyone and anything. Lord, make my joy complete every day. Amen.
Key Thought
Determine not to let your joy depend on things you see on Facebook, Twitter, Television or any other media. Rejoice in the fact that God rejoices in you. Let your joy be full as you meditate on God’s promises for you and the world found in the Bible. Unending joy is located in your daily communion with Christ.