In 2015 may you experience increasing joy, strength and favour in your life and in every sphere of influence!
shutterstock.com | Photocreo Michal Bednarek
“For You are the glory of their strength, and in Your favour our horn is exalted.”¹ Be encouraged by this promise in the coming year. When the psalmist spoke of ‘their strength’, he was referring to the “blessed…people who know the joyful sound” two verses earlier. That can include you and me as we embrace the joyful sound of worship and laughter and connect with the reality of heaven’s atmosphere.
At Christmas we sing carols and songs and write cards carrying the message: ‘Good news of great joy.’ The angels’ announcement of Jesus’ birth was an unparalleled reason to be joyful. But they were also heralding a new era of great joy which continues to this day.
A chosen lifestyle that empowers us
Joy is not only a temporary response to good news or to a good joke. Nor is not synonymous with an inner stoicism and stability. It is a chosen lifestyle of rejoicing that emanates from heaven, empowering and propelling us forward.
The heart union we can have with Christ thanks to that glorious night over 2000 years ago makes what He exudes available to us right now. In His presence is fullness of joy, and His presence is with us, indeed within us. Joy is something that’s catching. And it spills out to other people in our spheres.
The smartest goal?
I could have devoted this post to the steps in making SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals for the next 12 months. But I firmly believe that one of the smartest goals you and I can pursue is to be joyful on purpose. It’s going to be of immense value to us as we prepare for a year of increasing fruitfulness.
Intentional joyousness is a key answer to the cycle of New Year’s Resolutions that fall flat, if not by 7th January, then probably by 7th February each year. We could previously have been setting goals that lacked a purpose connected with our destiny. Or we may have been relying on our own willpower alone to make them happen, which can create strain and frustration.
On the other hand, the joy of the Lord is our strength.² He promises that, as we delight in Him, he will give us the desires of our hearts.³ As church leader and author, Andy Merrick, said recently, “The joy of the Lord gives you the energy that you need to make the changes you need.”
Celebration, healing and more
This is not to say that we just have to be happy and everything else will fall into place – we still need to follow through our plans and assignments diligently and with excellence. But divine joy helps to connect us with our mission in life, and the day-to-day steps involved. And supplies the strength and motivation to see our plans, goals and purposes through. Life’s not just about duty fulfilment: we were also created for celebration and are allowed to enjoy ourselves along the way.
A friend of mine received prayer at an event in Glasgow last year for a debilitating colon condition. As others laid hands on him he burst out laughing, kept going in his mirth for 10 minutes, and was healed. I’ve often seen him laugh that way since then. He was touched by the joy of the Lord, who released healing to him. Just as God can use joy to heal us, our joining in with heaven’s rejoicing can transform us and others in limitless ways, shifting atmospheres and even cultures.
May you be filled to the brim with joy in the year ahead, and let it pour out into the people and situations you encounter!
¹ Psalm 89:17
² Nehemiah 8:10
³ Psalm 37:4
True Vine Time 