Keep the joy

"For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne." Psalm 47:7,8

"There ain't nothin gonna steal my joy," were the lyrics we were singing along to as we (my daughter and her two friends) pulled out of the driveway at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning headed to the Honoring our Heroes Marathon in Rolla, MO. It was so easy, I thought, to sing that song amidst the unseasonably warm predawn temps of 69 degrees we awoke to. But, I wondered, would that still be the song on my lips and the attitude of my heart when the temperatures plummeted, the winds kicked up and the rain set in as the meteorologists predicted to happen later that day? 

But you know, I don't think even the weatherman could have been prepared for the rapid and brutal onslaught of cold, plummeting wind and precipitation that descended upon us runners midway through the race. And as a strong gust nearly blew my hat off (sending me sideways) and allowed the rain to blur my vision causing me to grimace, I reached back to tighten my cap strap and heard the words, "Mmmhmmm. Where's that joy now?" Laughing to myself, I smiled big, shook my head and said out loud the first words that came to mind, "Right here... because my God is still on the throne!" And with that reminder, the devil had nothing left to say. 

My friend, joy is a powerful thing. So powerful, in fact, that satan will try to steal it in any way he can from you... including whispering words of doubt and discouragement to you in the hardest of trials. But when those times come, and I assure you they will, remember this... God is King of all the earth, He reigns over the nations, and He is seated on his holy throne. In other words, remember that the war has already been won! And because of that, you too can sing, "There ain't nothin gonna steal my joy" and mean it no matter what storm you are facing. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the easy times when joy is easy to keep and thank you even more for the hard times when we learn that joy doesn't come from an easy life but from the knowledge that You are the King of Kings, seated on your holy throne, and nothing can ever change that. May we have joy in every circumstance then. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Old Church Choir - Zach Williams

https://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YKYWZWNX