{"id":2560,"date":"2021-01-21T19:10:57","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T00:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=2560"},"modified":"2022-02-25T13:48:01","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T18:48:01","slug":"kept-day-and-night-even-when-we-feel-unprotected-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=2560","title":{"rendered":"Our Highest Joy (Remaining Cheerful )"},"content":{"rendered":"

All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15<\/strong> NASB).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Solomon wrote that all the days of the afflicted are bad. Afflicted – poor, humble, wretched, needy and lowly.<\/em> Though this might not describe all our days, most of us have experienced times of affliction. But, in his wisdom, Solomon gave us a remedy. We need a cheerful heart. If we have that, he says we\u2019ll have a continual feast, the longings of our hearts will stay satisfied. No more searching for someone or somebody to fill our deep desires. A cheerful heart will fill us up to overflowing joy.<\/p>\n

This sounds exciting, but how does it play out in the moments of our lives? Sometimes the condition of our hearts hang in the balance, based on how we\u2019re feeling or what\u2019s going on around us. What\u2019s the secret of having and maintaining a cheerful heart and how do we walk in continual spiritual nourishment?<\/p>\n

What is a Cheerful Heart?<\/h3>\n

The Hebrew word translated as \u201ccheerful\u201d in the above verse has a wide variety of meanings. Agreeable to the senses, such as fair to the sight, sweet to the taste, fragrant to the smell and as a cooling shadow of a tree.<\/em> This brings the word into a context we can relate to in our experience, but it also encompasses terms of a broader, higher nature such as beautiful, pleasant, excellent, fruitful, fertile, advantageous, choice, fine, pure, goodly, valuable, better, merry, glad.<\/em><\/p>\n

As I read these descriptions of the word Solomon used, I sense its magnitude and\u00a0 \u201cout of this world\u201d richness. It congers up thoughts and feelings of complete peace and bliss, like being nurtured under the mighty wings of God.<\/p>\n

He will\u00a0cover you with His pinions, And\u00a0under His wings you may take refuge;<\/em> His\u00a0faithfulness is a\u00a0shield and wall (Psalm 91:4<\/strong> NASB).<\/span><\/p>\n

I think of what David declared in Psalm 4:7 <\/em><\/strong>You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine abound (NASB). <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And verses like: \u201cDo not be afraid,\u00a0Abram. <\/em>\u00a0<\/em>I am your shield,<\/em> your very great reward\u201d (Genesis 15:1b<\/strong> NIV)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

and<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good (Psalms 73:28a<\/strong> NASB)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The bottom line is that God Himself is the true source of our joy. As David wrote, In your presence is fullness of Joy\u201d (Psalms 16:11b<\/strong> NASB)<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though our hearts are cheered by the beauties of His creation, only God Himself can give us the kind of continual gladness which produces an ongoing buffet of spiritual nourishment.<\/p>\n

Maintaining a Cheerful Heart.<\/h3>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to take a difficult trial or sadness to get me off track. On any normal day I can easily rely on what’s around me to keep my heart encouraged. But eventually, this always leaves me empty. In my experience, it’s not what\u2019s going on around me or even how I\u2019m feeling which strengthens my heart and gives me courage. \u00a0Maintaining a joyful, cheerful heart has everything to with the focus of my worship.<\/p>\n

Worship \u2013 to give worth or worthiness.<\/em><\/p>\n

We all have an ongoing decision to make. Are we going to choose, as David did in the following verse, to worship God as our one desire? One thing I have asked from the\u00a0<\/em>Lord<\/em>, that I shall seek: That I may\u00a0dwell in the house of the\u00a0<\/em>Lord<\/em>\u00a0all the days of my life, To behold\u00a0the beauty of the\u00a0<\/em>Lord <\/em>And to\u00a0meditate in His temple (Psalm 27:4<\/strong> NASB).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Or, are we going to put greater worth on our circumstances and how we feel?<\/p>\n

This is not a one and done decision for the day. Delighting in the Lord, and not in how we’re doing, is a moment by moment choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over time, in countess turnings of our gaze back to Him, we begin to understand.<\/p>\n

God Himself is not only the reason for our cheerful hearts but also the source of nourishment which fully satiates our souls with the bounties of His goodness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lord, You fill my heart to overflowing with the beauties of Your magnificence. Please keep me focused on You. I want You to always by my one true worship. I depend upon You and Your Indwelling Spirit to keep me in the shadow of Your wings. Show me quickly when my hearts shifts to worshipping my own comfort. Teach me to trust in Your love and Your greater purposes.\u00a0 I lay my life and my story at Your feet. I delight in the rich, sweetness of Your goodness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh,\u00a0taste and see that the\u00a0<\/em>Lord<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0good;<\/em> Blessed\u00a0is\u00a0the man\u00a0who\u00a0trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8<\/strong> NKJV)<\/em> \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Previous posts in the series – Our Highest Joy:<\/span><\/p>\n

Unmasking the Lie<\/a><\/p>\n

Dealing with sadness and disappointment<\/a><\/p>\n

Eternal Thanksgiving<\/a><\/p>\n

Fueled by the Joy of Jesus<\/a><\/p>\n

God with Us<\/a><\/p>\n

Fixing Our Hope<\/a><\/p>\n

.<\/em>Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.<\/em><\/p>\n

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/span>Novels by the Author:<\/span><\/p>\n

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?\u00a0\u00a0Beyond Time<\/a><\/p>\n

By finding two undelivered letters in a 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\u00a0Hope Remains<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15 NASB).<\/p>\n

Solomon wrote that all the days of the afflicted are bad. Afflicted – poor, humble, wretched, needy and lowly. Though this might not describe all our days, most of us have experienced times of affliction. But, in his wisdom, Solomon gave us a remedy. We need a cheerful heart. If we have that, he says we\u2019ll have a continual feast, the longings of our hearts will stay satisfied. No more searching for someone or somebody to fill our deep desires. A cheerful heart will fill us up to overflowing joy.<\/p>\n

This sounds exciting, but how does it play out in the moments of our lives? Sometimes the condition of our hearts hang in the balance, based on how we\u2019re feeling or what\u2019s going on around us. What\u2019s the secret of having and maintaining a cheerful heart and how do we walk in continual spiritual nourishment?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2062,2036],"tags":[2055,2056,970,2040,1507,1007,420,2041,2047,423,616,873,326,698,1972,2005,2032,343,2049,2045,2039,2050,2051,2046,2048,108,21,2017,510,7,950,419,1934,2054,2012,1072,2037,307,1269,725,774,2061,2052,1946,2057,694,1938,2043,2042,2044,1990,84,2034,2053,2060,799],"class_list":["post-2560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-our-worship","category-the-bounties-of-god","tag-better","tag-bliss","tag-cheerful","tag-cheerful-heart","tag-circumstances","tag-comforter","tag-complete-joy","tag-continual-feast","tag-cooling-shadow-of-a-tree","tag-courage","tag-delight","tag-delight-in-god","tag-difficulties","tag-discouragement","tag-draw-near","tag-enduring-joy","tag-eternal-god","tag-eternity","tag-excellent","tag-fair-to-the-sight","tag-feast","tag-fertile","tag-fine","tag-fragrant-to-the-smell","tag-fruitful","tag-genesis-151","tag-gladness","tag-god-with-us","tag-jesus-christ","tag-joy","tag-joy-in-his-presence","tag-joyful-heart","tag-keep-close","tag-merry","tag-our-highest-joy","tag-overflowing-joy","tag-proverbs-1515","tag-psalm-1611","tag-psalm-274","tag-psalm-47","tag-psalm-7328","tag-psalm-914","tag-pure","tag-refreshment-in-god","tag-richness","tag-sadness","tag-satisfied-with-christ","tag-senses","tag-spiritual-nourishment","tag-sweet-to-the-taste","tag-the-holy-spirit","tag-trials","tag-unshakable-joy","tag-valuable","tag-wings","tag-worship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2560"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3843,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2560\/revisions\/3843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}