06/23/2022
GOD IS NOT DEPRESSED.” I don’t guess I’ve ever thought about that before, but it makes perfect sense. The more I thought about this, scriptures began to pop up inside my mind and heart. “The JOY OF THE LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). “In His presence is fulness of JOY” (Psalm 16:11). “I have told you these things that MY JOY may be in you” (John 15:11). God is FULL OF JOY. So much so that the overflow of His JOY is what gives us strength.
But, think about all of the knowledge God has. He knows all the good and all the bad going on in our world today. He knows the hurt and pain that people suffer through. He knows the evil that’s going on right now that is done in secret… things so heinous that they would make us sick just to think about them. He also knows what is to come in the future, as more evil and darkness will continue to spread across the globe. If I, in my mortal state, knew all that God knows about us and this world, I’d be extremely depressed. YET HE REMAINS JOYFUL! Our knowledge of the way things are creates sadness and depression. That’s because we ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil the day that Adam and Eve disobeyed God. All the knowledge we have of the wrong and evil in this world creates hopelessness and sadness.... because it’s out of our control… we can’t fix it.
But, God has a plan, and His plan will be fulfilled. He knows what the plan is. He sees it as being already fulfilled and completely carried out. His knowledge about the way things are doesn’t steal from His JOY because He sees the end from the beginning. He knows the complete joy and perfection that we will one day enjoy with Him in Heaven. The current state of affairs is just a fleeting moment in time that will soon be over.
So, here’s my prayer for today: “Lord, help us see things the way You see them. Take away the fear, the worry, the sadness and the feelings of hopelessness we have as we look at the current state of affairs. All of this is only temporary, but You are eternal. Put your joy in us… a joy that is independent of circumstances… a joy that gives strength… a joy that is full… a joy that comes from being in Your presence. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
