The Pathway we didn’t know

 we needed to follow

In my last post, I wrote about the fact that God often chooses not to remove the pressure we are facing but instead increases our strength to bear it. 

(Read it here - Praying upside down)

It was an eye-opening moment for me to realise that I had been praying for the wrong thing. I needed to be praying for God’s strength to enable me to bear the pressures of life, not just to remove them!

I want to dig into this a little deeper for a few minutes.

Doing some reading today, I came across something I hadn’t thought about before and realised it was a crucial link in this search and longing for strength.

Did you know that there is a pathway in the Word of God to get this strength we so desperately need? Most of us, as Christians, are trying to get it the wrong way.

We pray harder, we fast longer, we read more….but we’re missing the actual path that God laid out for us.

What do we do when life gets hard? I know what I do. Usually, my first request is for Him to remove the pressure, take away the burden, give me relief. Then I ask God for strength. I ask him for courage, for power to keep going.

And there is nothing inherently wrong with that.

Except, I’m starting at the finish line.

You know, God’s strength isn’t something you just ‘ask for’ and receive. Magically. Instantly. It’s not a microwave blessing.

There is an actual sequence God established and laid out in the Word of God. It’s a pathway of sorts. And most of us skip right over it.

Have a look at what it says in the last part of Nehemiah 8:10.

Nehemiah 8:10b……..for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Did you catch that? “the joy of the Lord is your strength”.

It’s not the prayers, it’s not the fasting, it’s not the reading, although all of that is good and helpful. It’s the JOY OF THE LORD. That is what is our strength.

This changes everything.

So, this begs the question, if JOY is the source of our strength, then how do we get this joy? Because, let’s face it, when you’re struggling, when you’re down and out, when you’re heartbroken, burnt out, at your wit’s end, “JOY” feels absolutely impossible!

But remember I said that it was a pathway? Keep going with that line of thought. Let’s look at another verse.

Psalm 16:11 KJV - Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Where do I get this joy? The answer is in this verse. In his presence!

Joy comes from being in God’s presence.

Joy doesn’t come from our situation changing. It doesn’t come from getting what we want. It doesn’t come from the struggle being over.

It comes from being with HIM. With God. In his presence.

Let’s trace this back to the beginning. Stay with me.

You need STRENGTH to face what lies ahead.

Strength comes from JOY.

Joy comes from His PRESENCE.

This is it. This is the pathway. This is what we’re missing.

So, when life becomes unbearable, when you struggle under the weight of your circumstances, when you feel you can’t take another step, don’t just beg for strength. Don’t just ask for removal of the pressure.

Get into God’s presence.

This means worshipping when you don’t feel like it. Praying when your thoughts are running wild and you don’t feel calm enough to come to him. Sitting still in silence when you just want to scream and run. Just BE with him.

This is where the joy comes. This is where joy begins to rise. And this joy brings strength.

We read over and over in the Psalms how King David spent time in God’s presence. He understood the sequence. Yes, he lamented. Yes, he poured out his heart to God in desperation. Yes, he understood despair and abandonment and suffering. But he also understood that the pathway to strength was to be found in God’s presence.

Presence – joy – strength.

We have to stop trying to get strength on our own terms. We have to stop chasing it. We have to chase his presence instead.

We have to take time to sit. To be still. To just be with God.

Open your Bible and read. Meditate on what you read. Think about it. Dwell on it. Sit with it. Pray aloud the verses back to God. Claim the promises. Talk to him like a loving Father, because that is what he is. He longs to spend time with you.

Joy is a tremendous source of strength. We all know the science, so I won’t go into it all except to say that happier, more thankful people do better during illness. Joy often helps us forget our pain as we change our perspective.

Joy can come from many places. People and circumstances. But people fail and circumstances change. And so, the joy level decreases.

But when we rely on God as our source of joy and let the joy of the Lord be our strength, we are trusting in One who is constant, never changing, and ever-present.

Joy is rooted in God’s character. Joy has the power to lift our hearts above our circumstances and strength begins to flow as discouragement loses its grip.  Joy fuels our endurance and enables us to keep going.

But to receive this joy, we need to be in God’s presence regularly. Not just in a Sunday morning worship service or a mid-week prayer meeting.

We have to be intentional about meeting with God daily.

Let me give you 5 things to help you seek out God’s presence to pave the pathway to the strength you need:

1.        Embrace silence and solitude – this is a hard one in our fast-paced world and it’s easy to overlook the importance of it. God often speaks in the silence, in the quiet moments when the distractions fade away. Embracing solitude allows us to reflect, pray and connect with God on a deeper level.

How you choose to do this is up to you. I like to go for a walk or climb up on the roof and watch the sunset or listen to quiet worship music while I drive.

2.        Engage in prayer – prayer is one of the most direct ways to seek God’s presence. It is a conversation between us and God, allowing us to express our fears, thoughts, gratitude. It is more than just reciting words, it is a dialogue with a divine, holy, righteous and loving God with whom you can share your life and receive guidance on how to move forward. Make time for prayer. Pray as you lay awake in the middle of the night. Pray before you even set foot out of bed. Pray throughout your day.

3.        Study Scripture – this is one of my favourite way’s to be in God’s presence. Studying scripture is a very powerful tool for deepening your relationship with God and strengthening your faith. As you study, you learn more of God’s character and how to navigate life’s challenges. As you dig deeper into the Word, you find treasures that give you a better understanding of who God is and who you are and how to grow in your faith. There are so many ways and methods to studying scripture, but if you’re just starting out, start simple. It can be as simple as getting a notebook and a reading plan and noting down verses that stand out to you and then looking into the words that you don’t understand or topics you want to explore. The important part is that you do it. Seek God’s presence through reading and studying his Word.

4.        Practice Gratitude – I have written extensively on this topic as it has made such an impact on my life. One of the ways of being in God’s presence is taking time to thank him for all he has done in your life. Being intentional about expressing gratitude to God bring so much joy. It shifts your focus off what you don’t have and onto what you do have and helps to reconnect you with God. One of the simplest ways to do this is to keep a journal. Write down 3 things each and every day that you are thankful for and bring them before the Lord in worshipful gratitude. Be thankful and watch your joy grow.

5.        Serve others – the act of selflessly giving back to others imitates God’s teachings and reveals his love to others. Serving shifts our focus off ourselves and onto others and reflects the heart of God. You experience God’s presence as you work for him by giving to those in need. Look for ways to help others, whether in your community or church or neighbourhood. As you serve, God goes with you and you find his presence a comforting and encouraging companion.

So, let’s remember the sequence.

Presence – Joy- Strength.

Seek God’s presence. As you do so, he brings joy and as you experience the joy of the Lord, he gives you the strength you need.

Psalm 95:1-2 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.