Living in Joy When Our Happiness is Challenged

Luke 21:19

By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus warned His apostles of the hard times to come.  He foretold the trials and persecution that they would suffer after He left.  He comforted them with His promise that if they persevered in the ways of God and in the truths that He had given them, they would possess peace and joy in their souls that the world could not take away.

So it is with us.  We have our own trials to bear in our lives.  The Lord teaches us to let nothing disturb or distress us.  He instructs us not to submit to the moodiness that might come upon us due to our circumstances.  We must take on the Spirit of the One who dwells within us.  We must endure, knowing that we have already been given victory over our circumstances.  We must allow Jesus to do His work in us despite of our mood, so that we can press on and do the work that He calls us to do in the world.

May we learn to patiently bear all afflictions on our bodies, bear all attacks and indignities tossed our way by our critics and bear all difficulties dealt to us by the world.  Through it all, let nothing disturb us, distress us or steal our peace.  May we live joyfully in the presence of Jesus Christ, our ever present Savior.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for granting us victory through Jesus over everything in the world that tries to take our joy away.  We rejoice in knowing that we can have joy even when happiness eludes us.  We pray that You will teach us how to seek the strength we need when our mood turns us toward our problems instead of our solution, Your Son, Jesus.  May the world see our joy in all circumstances so that they may be drawn to the One who provides it.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Stronghold, Jesus Christ.