| Sometimes it seems as if my chronic pain has but one goal: to rob me of joy. When the agony bites with its sharp teeth, I can even lose the joy of my salvation. If I’m not alert to it, I can easily slip into a dusky, “coping” kind of Christianity, the kind that muddles through just to get by—and stops believing in God’s deep concern or the hope of His deliverance. Don’t go there! It is a white-hot lie from hell.
Certainly, pain may test any Christian’s mettle, but it doesn’t have to destroy your faith. Satan may whisper that God has abandoned you, but He hasn’t. God is with you. Jesus endured pain beyond our comprehension, but He did so “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). And He offers that same endurance to each one of us. So make this your prayer today: “Dear Lord, restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:12).
Yes, Lord, I do lose joy sometimes. Maybe Satan steals it, or maybe I just become so diverted and distracted that I forget where I put it. But praise Your name, what is lost can be restored and what is misplaced or mishandled can be found again. Please restore Your joy in me, deep in my spirit. Let the fountain flow again. |
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