Are you facing the future with JOY?

 

As I look around at the faces of the people I come in contact with on a daily basis, I see worry, I see fear, I see anger, I see feigned happiness, but I rarely see joy. True joy. God given, deep, abiding joy.

Our world and sadly, often our churches, are full of despair. They are full of fear. There is not a lot of joy out there. The sad and sorry state that we find our world in, does not inspire joy and hope and love and peace. I want to tell you that you can face your future with joy. You can face your future free from fear.

But how? I was reminded of some ways we can do this while listening to a podcast recently by a well-known author who I am often challenged by.

She pointed out that in order to face our future with joy, we need firstly, to look back.

We have to go back into our past (not to dig up past hurts or find someone to blame our present troubles on) but in order to look back and remember what God has done for us in days gone by.

If we’re going to be able to look ahead with joy in our hearts, then we need to dig into the recesses of our memory and find those times where we saw the hand of the Lord work mightily. We need to remind ourselves of the times where we found ourselves in a desperate situation and God helped us through. We need to remember his faithfulness and goodness to us.  

There are so many times in my life where I knew that it could only have been God who did the work. It was all of him and none of me. In my own strength, I never would have made it through.

We need to look back and remind ourselves that God was faithful then, and he’ll be faithful now. He hasn’t let me down in the past, and he won’t let me down in the present or in the future.

We can face the future with joy, knowing that he has come through in the past and he will come through again.

After we’ve looked back, we need to look to the present. We can’t avoid looking at our current season of life. It’s staring us right in the face.

We need to look at where we are at this present time, look at the circumstances we find ourselves in and then remind ourselves, that no matter what they are, no matter how hard they are, they haven’t caught God off guard. He knows all about them and he knew all about them before we were ever born. He knows everything that is going on in our world and he knows what lies ahead. We will never ever catch God by surprise.

So, if God knows all about it, then don’t you think he can deal with it? Don’t you think that he is big enough to handle your problems?

We can face the future with joy simply because God already knows all about it and he is ready for it.

And finally, we need to look ahead. We can rejoice that the final chapter of our story has already been written. God has already told us our outcome. We know who wins, and it’s not the Devil. No matter how many schemes he has and how many traps he lays before us, he loses! He is defeated!

Sometimes we forget that in the race we run here on this earth, there is a finish line. We forget that although the days are hard and we often get weary, God is waiting there at the finish line to welcome us with open arms, saying, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant”.

We have a home in heaven with him forever. There will be no more tears, no crying, no pain, no sadness, no more fighting and striving, no pain and struggle, only peace. A home in heaven with our blessed Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God!

We can face the future with joy because God has written the final chapter and the hero wins! God, our champion, is victorious!

What this world needs are to see Christians that are joyful. They need to see it in the lives and on the faces of the believer. They need to see true joy. Joy that springs up from a deep well of gratitude to God because of his faithfulness.

They need to see that when things fall apart, we don’t! They need to see that we seek after God. They need to see that we call out to God when times are tough, and we praise him when times are good, bad or ugly.

They need to see that we have a hope. We have peace.

How can we reach the lost world if we walk around with no joy in our hearts? Why would they want what we have if it looks just the same as what they have?

Joy in the Christian walk is not an optional extra. It is a command. We are told to be joyful, over and over again.

Philippians 4:4 KJV - Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 KJV - Rejoice evermore.

Psalm 5:11 KJV - But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Psalm 100:2 KJV - Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Let’s become men and women whose hearts seek after God, who have a desire for his Word and have a boldness that doesn’t shrink back in timidity at the circumstances, but bravely steps out as fearless warriors, with God by our side, trusting in him and facing our future with joy in our hearts and a radiance on our face that only God can give!

 

You have hope! 

Face your future with joy!