Praise God…that joy is found in Him.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” -Psalm 16:11 ESV

  Think back and try to remember when you were a kid, when the smallest things could make you laugh or smile. Maybe a time when you would skip around the house for no reason other than you were happy and stress free. But then, somewhere along the way, we all grew up and responsibilities took over. Pressures and decisions were beginning to get heavy on our shoulders and life just got a lot more serious. Where joy just seemed to become more and more fleeting in our lives overtime. I think all of us can relate to this on some level. But the Bible tells us that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy. Not wavering or limited joy, but absolute fullness of joy is found with Him. There is no other place or with anyone else in the world where fullness of joy can be had. We may have people or places that have brought us moments of joy, which is amazing. But the never-ending source is with God. So, if you find yourself feeling a little less than joyful lately, go to Jesus and spend some time with Him. Step into His joy-filled presence and let Him show you how joyful life can be with Him. The outside circumstances and responsibilities may remain the same, but He can bring the joy back to our hearts from the inside out. And that is something to be praised.

  God, today we praise You that joy is found in You. We praise You that Your arms are always open to let us into Your presence. We praise You that even in the hard times we have access to the fullness of joy with You. Through the joyful name of Jesus, we praise You.