DC Devotion: Psalm 16
BY HANNAH LUNDQUIST, STAY AT HOME MOM IN TOLEDO, OH
Joy. The emotion all of humanity is seeking. The emotion our souls were created to experience!
Yet why does joy feel as fragile as a stubbed toe or a missing item from your food order- and suddenly all good tidings crumble into a grumpy mood.
For followers of Jesus, we weren’t meant to just experience joy on a whim. When all of life is going *just right*. (Does that ever last long anyways?) Jesus came so that our joy could be steadfast. STRONG. Enduring through every season and every glass of spilled milk. That we could become a person of joy, as he is.
For followers of Jesus, we know our joy is found in Him alone. But how exactly do we grab ahold of that?
Psalm 16:11 gives us a way:“You make known to me the path of life. You fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand”
We experience joy by engaging in the:
- Practices of Jesus. Following his teachings, which lead to true abundant life in the world
- Presence of Jesus. Being with the most joyful person in the world!
- Promise of Jesus. Knowing that our future is headed towards eternal delight. All hard things now will be redeemed. All people lost will be reunited with us. We look ahead to a life with no more tears or pain.
As we grow in our friendship with Jesus, may our reserves for joy deepen and strengthen. Not that we would go through life like a “positive vibes only” shirt- but that in all things, joy would create a home deep in our souls through the Holy Spirit.
That we could be people who experience grief and joy. Disappointment and joy. Anger and joy. Exhaustion and joy. Knowing that one day- joy is all there will be.
Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.