Tag Archives: strength

Trusting, Resting, Enjoying, Loving

(In the Moments) As Sea Gulls Fly

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Martha had enough. Her sister Mary did it again, leaving her to do all the work while she just sat there. Martha was distracted by all the preparations. And though the very source of Joy was with her, she was focused on what she had to do.

Sound familiar?

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”  Luke 10:38-40

“But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

But how can life really be about one thing? Without Martha, no food would have been served.

On a slow morning, sitting on a dock facing the intracoastal waterway in Wilmington, NC, I’m once again pondering how to rest as Mary did without neglecting my responsibilities.

The mid-morning sun warms the steady breeze as it whips across my face. I look across the gray blue waterway and see white caps ushering the tide to my right. The rhythmic waves lap upon the shore only interrupted by the rubbing of the floating docks along the pile driven wooden poles and the distant sound of a dog’s bark.

I have sought my own answers to this quandary for years, but this morning it all seems clear. No profound answers are given, only His strong hand outstretched, inviting me to give Him my cares. He’s much more concerned about us being together than what I’ll accomplish. Together, He’ll show me how to live a Mary life in a Martha world.

My worries are safely sealed, waiting for His commands to be revealed.

Two light yellow butterflies dart across the rolling tide. Above the water flow, there is a lime green strip of land below a line of emerald trees, couching white, multi-storied buildings in the distance. Above the tree line, a cloudless sky rises in deeper shades of pastel blue towards the heavens.

Wow! Is this joy, this trusting, this resting, this enjoying His presence? Is this abiding? Is this what Jesus means when He tells me to remain in His love?

A convergence. Totally unplanned. Unscripted. A gift.

A sea gull effortlessly glides above me. Outstretched wings riding on unseen strength. Lord, is this like us resting in Your strength as we journey? Positioning in the wind of Your presence, relying on You to empower and guide.

So, what now? I could regret millions of distracted moments in my past when I labored without a thought of His nearness. Flapping against the wind.

But I won’t.

I ‘ll go forth with a deeper understanding of what Jesus means when he tells me not to worry, but to seek His Will, His Kingdom, His supremacy in my life.

All that other stuff, the things I seem to focus on, what I’ll eat and what I’ll wear and what I’ll drink – He’s got that. (Matthew 6:33) He and I have more important things to do, like resting in His presence enjoying our time together.

And when I am doing that (Enjoying moments of life with Him), I will naturally love the people I meet along the way. When, like Mary, I’m in tune with my Lord’s nearness, when I’m yielding to His Indwelling Spirit, His love flows through me to others. My number one concern now is to love others as He’s loved me. This  starts with resting in His love.

Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

“Love is the overflow of joy in God that gladly meets the needs of others.”  John Piper

Trusting, Resting, Enjoying, Loving

Challenge

Do you ever find yourself in the Martha/Mary trap, having way too much to do that you’re too distracted to enjoy the moments of life and our nearness to God?

Though, in the encounter above, He touched my spirit with a tangible realization of the peace and joy of His presence, I often revert back to acting like Martha.

I’ve asked God to show me quickly when this happens and to remind me of His strength and the beauty of His nearness.

Try it. Overtime, as it becomes a rhythm, you will find yourself more and more able to be like Mary, even in the midst of a whirlwind of activities and responsibilities.

Prayer

Lord, truly these moments cannot be scripted. However, like the sea gull, I can spread the wings of my life out to You. I can trust that as I rest in your Indwelling presence, You will carry me. You in me will accomplish what needs to be done. You in me will love those who need to be loved. You in me will guide along this path of life until you receive me into Your glory. May I always have my wings ready to catch the wind of Your Holy Spirit and glide where You want me to go. Amen.

“Nevertheless I am continually with You. You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterwards receive me to glory.” Asaph from Psalm 73:23-24

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

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Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

Novels by the Author:

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

 

Choosing Joy, Eternal Joy, Joy in Trials

Yet will I Rejoice in the Lord (Reposted in the Moments)

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Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail  and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on my high places.  (Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV)

Wrightsville beach. One of our favorite places to get away and replenish. The warmth of the sun, the cool breeze of the coming fall, the constant rhythmic sound of the surf, the expanse of the ocean against the light blue horizon. Delightful. A small butterfly lands on my bride’s finger, a kiss from her Father in a moment when love was hidden.

For most of my life, I’ve seen problems as negative. However, I’m learning a new perspective. James tells us to, “count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds in trials,”[1] but these verses, and others like it, are hard to get my heart around. Trials, hardships and problems don’t seem to correlate with joy.

In Habakkuk’s day the Lord raised up the Chaldeans, on horses swifter than leopards; horsemen bent on violence, swooping down like eagles to devour.[2] But He gave Habakkuk strength, raising him up to high places above the fray. From this place of God’s perspective, he declared his intension to rejoice in the Lord, come what may.

This is the perspective we all need in the midst of troubles we know will come. On the night before he died, Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33b NASB)

God has used some of our recent difficulties to teach me to cling so desperately to Him. In each hardship, I’m discovering more of Him. l don’t like these troubles, but I’m learning that Joy can sustain me, if I invite Him in.

On the ride to the beach we listened to a message from Graham Cooke[3] called the Language of Heaven. Cooke mentions that with every problem there are built in opportunities to experience God more fully. He says we should ask the question – What aspect of God can I realize now that I couldn’t have without this situation? He mentions that Joy always accompanies our experiences with God; the Lord is fullness Joy.[4] Cooke challenges us to begin and end each day with celebration.

I want to live my life this way, like Habakkuk, always looking to the Lord for my strength. I want to rejoice in the Lord always, even in situations which are like nightmares. I want to walk with Him on the high places of His eternal perspective, orienting my life around a story which is far more important than my pleasant circumstances.

Lord, right now I celebrate you. In the midst of very hard situations which linger, I seek You. You’re teaching me that Your love completes me. Being loved by you is my identity. You are all I need, my Peace, my Hope, my Joy. Please teach me to look at each new problem as an opportunity to be “upgraded[5]” into a deeper experience with You. I know, in Your sovereignty, You will provide “opportunities” for me to depend on You more. Please help me see all of life, especially the hard times, from Your viewpoint and trust in Your greater good for me.

 

 

 

[1] James 1:2

[2] Habakkuk 1:6-9

[3] Graham Cooke, The Language of Heaven – https://youtu.be/mi6nZA2wUqo

[4] Psalm 16:11b

[5] Word used by Graham Cooke.

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Joy Defined, Joyful Heart, Joyful Strength

How Can the Joy of the Lord be our Strength?

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Weeping

God’s people were weeping. They’d been through years of exile in a foreign land, but were back in Jerusalem, gathered before the newly rebuilt Water Gate. Ezra, the priest, asked for the book of the Law of Moses to be brought forth. He read it from early morning to midday. The people were attentive and greatly moved.[1]

Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground (Nehemiah 8:6) NASB.

From hearing the law of God, something was awakened deep within the people. A longing for God was stirred up. They began to weep.[2]

A Call to Joy

When Nehemiah heard the people weeping, he said to them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” (Nehemiah 8:9)

Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

David had written years before, “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11b).

In this time of grieving, of weeping, of longing for God, the people needed to be encouraged. Their hearts needed to be infused with the joy of the Lord which grows with His nearness.

What is Joy?

The word Hebrew for joy Nehemiah used to cheer the people literally means gladness. But joy has much deeper implications than just being happy.

In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis describes joy as the experience “of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” He goes on to say that joy only has one characteristic in common with happiness and pleasure, “the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again.”[3]

So this experience called Joy is an awakening in our hearts of a longing for God, knit into every fabric of our being. Joy exuding from the Lord, awakens our longing for Him and invites us further into His presence.

Enjoy

God has given us many things to enjoy. Nehemiah commands the people to enjoy eating the fat of the land and to drink of the sweet, making glad their hearts. These enjoyments are a physical manifestation of Joy flowing from God’s bounty of delight. He wants us to enjoy what He’s created.

Then Nehemiah directs the people to ultimate Delight, to God Himself.

Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b).

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Joy, of the Lord. Full Joy, exuding from the Lord’s nearness, quickening the heart, inviting us deeper. As our hearts are cheered with stable, eternal Joy, unaffected by any worldly circumstance, courage is born. A cheerful, courageous heart gives us strength.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17:22).

When Joy of eternal quality cheers the heart, a courage and strength of the same type emerges.

How Can The Joy of the Lord Be our Strength?

  • The Joy of the Lord is our strength when we determine to have no joys above Him, no relationship, no possession, no achievement, no security, no delight.
  • The Joy of the Lord is our strength when we recognize all earthy pleasures as coming directly from His heart to us, designed to be enjoyed, not apart from Him, but as part of our enjoyment of Him.
  • The Joy of the Lord is our strength when we recognize that the experience of joy is not an end in itself, but a longing to draw us to God Himself. Joy is an invitation.
  • The Joy of the Lord is our strength when we realize that enjoying God above all earthly delights brings Him glory.

Prayer

Lord, so many things compete for my delight in You. I’m guilty of “requiring” the circumstances of my life to be okay for me to have joy. I’m so sorry. Thank You for showing me that eternal, rock solid joy is found in You at all times. Thank You that as my heart is cheered in You, courage arises. Finding my eternal joy in You, gives me strength for even the most difficult trials. Long time griefs, which seem to have no end, have threatened to discourage and dishearten me. But You are my Joy. When I see this and trust it, my heart is cheered and courage emerges. This gives me strength in these most difficult trials. Thank you dear Lord, my King, my Sovereign, my Joy.

[1] Nehemiah 8:3-6

[2] Nehemiah 8:9

[3] C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy, pp. 17–18.

Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Joy Required, The Joy of the Lord is my Strength, The Nearness of God

Is Joy a Vital Part of a Healthy You? (Part 2)

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Have you ever considered the fact that we need joy? Have our hearts been designed for it, but we didn’t realize it? Is joy a required part of our overall health?

When the Israelites heard the words of the Lord, after years of exile, they began to weep. Nehemiah, who had become their governor, told them not to grieve. He said the joy of the Lord would be their strength.[1]

What did he mean?  Nehemiah meant the gladness of heart which comes from the nearness of God  fuels our lives by giving courage and strength.

Our hearts are fueled by joy. We have to have it. It’s fundamental to our well-being. We’ll keep on searching for it down whichever life path seems most promising. When one way comes up empty, we’ll look for it in another. Deep within our hearts, there’s an unquenchable craving for something more.

God has set eternity in the hearts of men.

Consider the etymology of the word “heart”. The Latin word for heart is “cor”. From it, we get our English word “core” – the core of an apple, our core exercises, the essence of who we are. The French modified it to “cour,” from which we get the word courage.

Courage is vital for each day, especially when we face life’s challenges. The antonym of joy, sorrow, can disheartened us. When this happens, we need to be encouraged, filled with courage. A spark of joy, in the midst of discouragement, gives us hope and strength to keep taking breaths and stepping forward.

Joy is more than an optional “add on” to our lives. In fact, you may even call it the sustenance of our souls. And though we experience joy in God’s creation around us, especially in our encounters with people, God himself is the source of all joy.

Speaking of God, David wrote, “In your presence is fullness of Joy.” Psalm 1611b

The more we know God, the more joy, courage and strength we experience.

Challenge: What circumstance has stolen your joy? What lie has blocked your awareness of the Lord’s nearness and love for you? Is there anything you believe will give you more Joy than the Lord Himself? Answer these questions honestly before the Lord. Embrace the joy of His presence and the courage He brings to your heart.

Prayer: Lord, you alone are my great joy. I’m so sorry for desiring any relationship, any circumstance more than you. Thank you that right now you indwell me and are closer than breathe. Your love for me cannot be shaken in spite of anything in heaven and on earth. I embrace you and ask you to strengthen my heart with the joy of your presence. Amen

Is Joy a Vital Part of a Health You (Part 1) 

 

 

[1] Nehemiah 8:10