Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! (Psalm 105:2-3)

There is an old song that says, “There is a joy in the journey, there’s a light we can love on the way. There is a wonder and wildness to life, and freedom for those who obey.” The essence of the song is learning to appreciate and even enjoy what happens in life — good and bad — as we strive to be conformed to the image of Messiah. As it is written, “For for the joy that was set before Him, he endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). Those who pursue material gain will always find reason to be unhappy until they attain the object of their desire. Unfortunately for them, once they do get what they want, they often find it doesn’t bring them joy.

This is not the case for those who search for the Lord because the seeking and the finding happen simultaneously. In other words, the one who seeks the Lord has already discovered that He is our ultimate good fortune and, consequently, we rejoice while we seek Him. That is not to say there are no challenges, no disappointments and occasion for tears — there are. Opportunities come, and then they are gone; unexpected difficulties arise and complicate our lives, sometimes with the bitterest of details. Still, if we maintain our focus and set our hopes on Him, we can overcome these situations with the gladness of knowing that our God never fails us.

An old familiar adage says, “Nothing is as constant as change.” Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, and as I mentioned, hard to bear. However, God never changes. He doesn’t move the goal posts, as they say — He is constant. He is our our North Star who never wavers, never falters, never abandons us and who equips and empowers us to deal with, and overcome, the changes that seek to steal our joy. As it is written, “The joy of the Lord is our strength” — it is our defense and enduring sustenance. So, let us rejoice in the journey because, for those who endure, the glorious outcome will eclipse anything we must suffer for His sake.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill