“The journey of faith has a final destination of unceasing, uncontainable joy.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 25, 2025
When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! Psalm 126:1-3, NLT
As I write these words, the world outside my window is hushed. A rare southern snowstorm has quieted and stilled the fast-moving world that surrounds my simple country home. Yet soon, the sun will rise, and my home will transform into something akin to Christmas morning, with three young children spilling out into the yard with uncontainable joy at the sight of one of our Lord’s most remarkable creations.
In light of this unfolding scene, I cannot help but reflect upon the theme of joy. Joy is closely tied to wonder and amazement. Yes, joy is also a decision of the will and a choice we can make, often against all odds. We choose to be joyful as a sign of thanksgiving and gratitude to God. Yet there are other times in which joy is a spontaneous and instantaneous response of the heart to something beyond our control. My children have longed all winter for snow to fall, yet they are entirely powerless to in any way bring a snowstorm into being. All they can do is receive it.
I wonder if the joy I will observe this morning is a small taste of the joy described in Psalm 126? Pure, unadulterated joy, delighting in something that was given as a gift that is beyond anything anyone could have created or manufactured for themselves. Exiled in Babylon, it was impossible for the Lord’s people to simply will their freedom into being. They were subjugated to a power greater than them, and while they could hope and long for a return to Jerusalem, it would require the intervention of the Lord in the most remarkable of ways.
When the Lord works in history for the good of his people, it is a joy beyond expression. In the words of our psalm, it is “like a dream,” replacing sorrow and tears with songs of joy and unceasing laughter. This is a picture of the life of faith. Yes, it has moments and even seasons of sorrow and pain, yet we are never without hope, and the promise of God is that the journey of life has a final destination of unceasing, uncontainable joy.
Prayer
Father, fill us with delight and joy in the gift of your presence and the freedom that is found through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Application
Reflect today on the close relationship between joyfulness and thanksgiving.
Related Reading
Psalm 100:4-5; Philippians 4:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Worship Resource
Martin Smith: Joy (What the World Calls Foolish)
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