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 “Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is.”
~C.S. Lewis
 
Joy. It’s a characteristic that is a staple of Christians. It goes along with peace and love and it sets us apart as believers. If I’m honest it is something I have struggled to feel for quite sometime. There isn’t one specific circumstance I can pinpoint that has caused my joy to diminish, but it definitely hasn’t been present. Truthfully I think my life got busy, I got distracted and somewhere along the way I stopped praising Him.

I have prayed over and over again Psalm 51 asking the Lord to “restore the joy of my salvation.” It has been my most consistent prayer request since beginning the race in January. I want to be overwhelmed and full of joy and worship the way I was the day I first believed.   I want to not only love the Lord, but to delight in Him. I have tried to create joy, but that is not possible. Joy is not something we can create and if we try we will be far off. I can create pleasure all day long, but I will fail trying to create joy.

Over the course of the last two months the Lord has spoken many times to me through my brothers and sisters, through His Word, through His creation and through His people. He has reminded me of His love and His sacrifice on the cross. He has reminded me that I am His daughter and that He delights in me. He has literally rejoiced over me with singing and reminded me that I have nothing to be ashamed of in my past. I have cried out to Him over and over desperate for restoration.

As usual though it takes me awhile to see things…even when they are right in front of my face! Thankfully my Heavenly Father is patient with me. This month in Selaphum the Lord literally brought me Joy. She is a beautiful 14 year old Compassion child that hangs out around the Church we are working at this month. We were sitting on the swing yesterday laughing as we usually do, mostly because I can’t communicate verbally with her. She was drawing faces on her hand and I was telling her the English words. She then wrote “Love God & Jesus”.   I responded with a “Jesus loves you.” She ran off with her friends shortly after that and I sat there thankful for the little conversation the Lord allowed. 
 
 
When Joy returned a little while later, she brought me a Cross. It was unexpected and made me feel loved. I thought shouldn’t I be the one ministering to her? To me it was like a bright NEON sign had just dropped in my lap. God used a girl named “Joy” who gave me a cross to remind me of how far He went to remove my shame. He reminded me that joy has nothing to do with me and how I feel. It has everything to do with Him and the price He paid for me on the Cross. The only way we experience true joy is through a transforming relationship with Christ.  

In my youth ministry days I used to think of acronyms all the time to make talks more interesting and as I look at the word JOY all I see is Jesus Over You. I’m sure it’s been used before, but for me it’s new and it’s from the Lord. Jesus is it period. We can try all day long, but apart from Him we will never feel filled.   Jesus needs to come first. God restored my joy yesterday. My joy is in Him and the love He demonstrated on the Cross for me. If joy is missing in your life, look to Him. He loves you and wants to restore your joy. Embrace what He did for you on the cross and that you have a Father who delights in you. Put Jesus Over You and before you and you will find joy.

“Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.” ~Zephaniah 3:14-15