Daily Devotions
“Your joy will be complete.” John 16:24
Yesterday we looked at the song “Joy is Like the Rain.” Jesus really meant it when He said, “Your joy will be complete.”
Just think about it. Joy is tried by storm. Picture yourself on the troubled Sea of Galilee. The thunder rolls across the sky and whips the waves to a frothy and frightening intensity. Your life’s boat is almost torn apart, and your heart is full of fear. All seems lost.
There is no joy. But then you remember. Christ is asleep in your boat – your Christ, your powerful, loving, living Christ. And your joyful, victorious shout cannot be silenced by the storms of life. You are whipped by wind, yet still afloat. And you live to see the calm. Yes, joy is tried by storm.
Just think about it. Joy is like the rain. The waters pound the earth, and the rivers, growing from a tiny rivulet to a mighty, roaring stream, rush through the valleys and plains to the vast oceans of the world. Joy in Christ starts small, but it can grow and grow as you experience the love of God. On and on it grows, bit by bit – the still, small voice of God within your soul; the daily yet timeless riches of His precious Word; the love of your brothers and sisters in Christ, understanding, accepting, forgiving, strengthening; the endless meetings with God, in a cloud, in a flower, in a church, in a helpful stranger, in a friend, in a deep conversation which is honest and loving. Yes, joy is like the rain.
All this, and more, from a rainy day and a song about joy. God is alive. He speaks. He gives. He loves. He brings joy, complete joy, like the rain.
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord God, for filling me with joy even when storms come along. Amen.
(Devotions from “My Daily Devotion” by Dr. Stephen J. Carter, copyright 1988 CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. For ordering information, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org.)