Choosing Joy Today - Your Nightly Prayer - November 21st

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Choosing Joy Today  
Your Nightly Prayer 
By Britt Mooney 

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE 

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”-  Psalm 118:24

SOMETHING TO PONDER 

I’ve seen a funny video where a young kid is holding onto a rope, and she’s afraid of falling. She shuts her eyes in terror and cries out for help. The humor happens when the video pans down to show the child is only inches from the ground. People surrounding the kid need to convince her to simply step down to solid ground. It took some convincing. 

God must feel like the people surrounding the fearful child. It takes some convincing for us, too. 

Most of us have heard the teachings clarifying the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness results from a temporary situation and is therefore a transient state. We can’t trust happiness to last. Joy is a state of ecstasy based on eternal reality. The joy of God is eternal and exists independently of a temporary circumstance. 

Like all of God’s gifts, we don’t have to wait on it. His joy is part of him, and he’s given us himself through the Son and Spirit. 

Yet he won’t force joy upon us. Like every gift of God, we must choose it. God’s joy is an eternal state we must simply step into. His joy is a finished work. The NIV version of the above verse says, “The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.” The “let us” part of the verse is a command we must obey. We enter joy despite how we feel or the current circumstance. 

Actually, God gives us his joy, especially in difficult moments. Nehemiah 8:10 famously says, “Do not sorrow; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” In context, the Jews had been allowed back to Jerusalem after God exiled them due to their idolatry and injustice. They had lost much. Yet God also promised great redemption. Nehemiah pointed out their ability to choose joy, and that joy would be a strength for what was to come. 

It is the same for us today. Most of us deal with great difficulty and hardship. We can choose joy today, focused on God’s promises for a good future, and let it give us strength to endure.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER 

Heavenly Father,
When I clutch fear like the child on the rope, I open my eyes to see the solid ground of faith and joy beneath me. Remind me how happiness fades, but your joy endures. By your Son and Spirit, you have given us yourself. Teach me to choose joy, and by it to get strength through losses and hardship. I step into your finished work with trust and gratitude.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen. 

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON 

1. What are the times you feel happiness? What are the times you feel joy? 

2. What are the characteristics of God (like his love and righteousness) that will never change and can bring us joy? 

3. What are the gifts of God (like his blood, salvation) that are eternal and can be a source of joy?

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Mark Rabe

Britt Mooney lives and tells great stories. As an author of fiction and non-fiction, he is passionate about teaching ministries and nonprofits the power of storytelling to inspire and spread truth. Mooney has a podcast called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author of We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth as well as Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight.

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