Music, Joy, and Hope

It’s been a hard spring for me.  You know - personal life stuff.  We all experience times like these in our lives.  

One of the things that I’ve prayed about was that God would allow me to experience joy in my life again. I had been praying Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” 

Remember what it was like when you first trusted Christ and how excited you were about your faith.  That’s what I want back.  That sheer joy in knowing Jesus and passionately loving Him above anything else.

As I was leaving church last night following a powerful worship and prayer time, someone said something to me about enjoying the music. I had had the privilege of helping lead worship and so I simply replied something like I love to sing and I had fun.  And while that was true, God impressed on my heart that wasn’t all there was to it.  It wasn’t fun I had experienced, it was joy. He gently reminded me that worship music has always brought me joy because it ushers me into the presence of God and in His presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)

I had a conversation with our pastor yesterday morning about an issue and he referred to Romans 12.  As I was scrambling to remember what all was in Romans 12, all I could remember was that’s the chapter about being a living sacrifice and that’s the chapter about being transformed by the renewing of my mind but I was at a loss to remember what the rest of the chapter was about. (The older I get the worse my memory gets!) 

Later on in the day, I found time to pull out my Bible and read Romans 12.  In fact, I read it through multiple times and the part that kept speaking to me was probably not the part he had referred to… (sorry Dan)  But verse 12 kept sticking out to me - “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  I went through the rest of the day thinking – be joyful in hope, be joyful in hope, be joyful in hope …..

I was then reminded of some verses that I had memorized from Romans 5 – “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”   And Romans 15:13 which says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

So, I trust in God and He gives me joy, peace and hope. What a deal!

Trust leads to hope …. What is that hope about?  

2 Timothy 1:12 “for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Wow – what a day! I went to bed last night confident in my Savior’s love, confident that my future is secure in Him, and full of joy, peace, and hope.