Choosing Joy in the midst of heartache

Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again. Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

What do you do when you are faced with one of your greatest fears?

The last 24 hours has been facing one of my greatest fears and in the midst of that choosing to keep my focus on Christ and not the circumstance.

Yes, the fear was great. The what-ifs rolled through my head like a bad movie on repeat.

Music has always been a source of comfort for me. I had three songs playing throughout my day that rang God’s Truth throughout my home and deep in my soul.

I can choose joy in the midst of heartbreak. I can still praise God even though my heart is hurting, my spiritual legs are wobbly and my stomach is in knots.

Joy does not come from my circumstance but from my faithful and trustworthy God.

There is a part in the song ‘Into Dust’ by Mack Brock that says “I will lift my hands to the skies and sing. All my hope in You, the King of Kings. I will trust in You.” I will choose to trust God. In the thick of a scary and uncertain circumstance, He is still in control of all things and I can find joy knowing He knows every detail and He has this in His hands.

The second song I found comfort in was ‘Even If’ by MercyMe. This song talks about God’s ability to take away the pain and the suffering but even if He chooses not to, I can still trust in Him and find my hope in Him. “You’ve been faithful, You’ve been good, all of my days. Jesus, I will cling to You. Come what may, ‘cause I know You’re able. I know you can.” The part “come what may” is the part that causes the fear to rise, but I still choose to cling to Jesus because I know He is able to turn this circumstance around for the good of all involved.

‘So Will I’ by Hillsong is all about praising God. This song reminds me that I was created to praise God-always. My circumstances cannot dictate whether I praise God or not. “God of salvation, You chased down my heart. Through all of my failure and pride. On a hill, You created the light of the world. Abandoned in darkness to die.” This is why I praise God. If there were nothing else in life to praise God for, His gift of salvation would be enough.

When your heart is battered and bruised do you break with the hurt of the blow or do you rejoice in the Lord?

Let’s face it, joy is not our first reaction when we are hurt or facing circumstances that leave us trembling. When the uncertain covers us like the cold damp fog it’s hard to see the light through the thickness of the grey.

We can choose to rejoice at all times and in any event or we can choose to allow our circumstances to rob us of the joy that Jesus died to give us.

When the circumstances feel overwhelming remember God’s Truth-“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12