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by Meghan McSwain Have you been practicing joy in your life. I hope so, it will have a profound effect on your life, if you do. Over the past two months, we have discussed three practices that will help use to experience joy: fellowship with fellow believers, worship and love. But, there is more! In Philippians 4:6 we find two practices that will help us to discover joy: prayer and thanksgiving. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Prayer is having a conversation with God. It is not just telling God what we want, we must listen. What is God trying to tell you? In 1 Kings 19 we find Elijah waiting to hear from the Lord, but he does not find the Lord in the wind, earthquake or fire, he finds Him in the small, still voice. Elijah heard from God in the quiet. I don’t know about you, but I don’t seem to have much quiet time. It is something I must create for myself, or it never happens. Make quiet a priority.....listen. "This, then, is how you should pray: `Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Mt. 6: 9-13). You may recognize this as the Lord’s Prayer. It is how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Note how simple it is. Note all the elements of the prayer: praise, commitment, daily requests, forgiveness, deliverance from temptation. Do your prayers contain all of these elements? When I was in high school my Sunday School teacher told us a guaranteed way to feel better when we got down: count your blessings. I thought he was crazy, but tried it. It works!! It is hard to feel down when one takes a look at all the things s\he has to be thankful for. In Col. 2:7, Paul tells us to “overflow with thanksgiving.” If you will take time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for, you may be surprised how much will overflow!! You may find yourself overflowing with joy in spite of yourself. You may think I’m crazy, but try it! In Philippians 4:7 Paul challenges us to be content. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Peace. The older I get, the more I appreciate peace. Peace comes with contentment. Are you content with your life? Paul was, and consequently, he was able to be joyful in all circumstances. “ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Php. 4:11-13). Our culture teaches us that we must always be striving for something better. There is nothing wrong with wanting something better as long as we don’t lose ourselves in the search. Paul found he could be content in all things because he put his faith in Jesus....he looked to Jesus for his contentment, not man...he looked to Jesus to find joy. Are you content with your life? If not, find a quiet place and take it to Jesus. He may not change your situation, but he will teach you to be content in any and every situation. Be careful, he may change you...you may even find joy!!
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[Choose Joy] |