Beep…Beep…Beep…

The screech of my alarm clock swooped through my peaceful slumber like a bat at a seven year old slumber party filled with shrieking girls.

Oh, No!  I’m not ready for today!

This was the first thing that came to my mind as I tumbled out of bed.  There is not any one big thing that I am dreading today, I just do not feel prepared or well put together.  Quite frankly, I just feel behind on well, everything.

The conveyor belt calendar that I am jogging on is filled with a random smattering of obstacles and challenges, things to go over or around or pick up.  For some reason over the past week or so it feels as if each day the pace of this treadmill has picked up a bit each day.

There are more obstacles, more tasks to tend to.  Much has been started, but not much has been finished and it has me feeling like I am clumsily dragging that which I can no longer carry.  Saturday’s to-do list rolled into Sunday and picked up more.  Like a snowball downhill, what Sunday packed on rolled right into Monday.  Monday’s weight of burden seemed to multiply.

Now it is Tuesday morning.  I’m feeling a bit like Indiana Jones running from that huge bolder, accept I think my running is going to last a bit longer than the short scene in a movie.  This is my morning.  It’s now 6:07am.

How is your morning going my dear reader?  How did you feel when you woke up this morning?  Have you had the weight of previous days trying to push its weight into this day?  Do you feel prepared to journey through this day?  Or do you need some coffee and breakfast first?  Did you hit the ground running or just hit the ground?

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10

The joy of the Lord is our strength.  Strength, yes please, I would like some of that for this day.  To get strength we need the joy of the Lord.  Have you ever wondered how you experience that?

I have wondered that.  I have come to conclude that Jesus must be the joy of the Lord.

In the Christmas story when the angels proclaim the news of Jesus’ birth they say, “I bring you good news of great joy.”  (Luke 2:10 NIV).  When Jesus is baptized the  Spirit of God descends like a dove and a voice from Heaven says, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.”  

Then there is 1 Peter 1:8 (ESV) which says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him.  Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” 

In Philippians 4:13 it says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  If Christ is where the strength comes from and the joy of the Lord is my strength.  Christ is the joy of the Lord.

I may not be prepared for the day.  I am not have awoken filled with joy.  But, it is not on my own strength that I have to make it through this day.  I just need to allow Jesus, the joy of the Lord, to be my strength.  I need to trust Him.  I may not be prepared, but He is.  I may be feeling a bit low on joy, but He is the source of joy.

What about you, dear reader?  Would  you like a little supernatural strength in your day?  A thirst quenching, refreshing, serving of joy to take on whatever this crazy day holds?  Come to Jesus.  He’s ready.  Rejoice with Him.  He’s got this day.

Beloved Lord,

Thank You so much for Jesus being the source of rich joy in our lives.  Thank You for the Holy Spirit who nourishes us with the fruit of joy.  Thank You for using joy as a strength for us.  We so often hear, “no pain, no gain”.  Yet You give us another prescription, “have joy, find strength.”  May this wisdom help us to not only survive, but thrive through this day and all that it holds. 

Amen