Count It All Joy

Count It All Joy

I sat in a room with a supervisor listening in disbelief as she criticized me and everything I did. She used things I had said in passing against me and twisted my words to make me look like a performance nightmare. I knew in my heart and soul that I did not deserve this harsh treatment, yet I had no answers to her pointed questions. The two times I mistakenly attempted to defend myself she shot me down and shook her head in a manner of disappointment and disapproval. It did not take long to know where this conversation had come from, as she made sure I understood, yet threatened me all at the same time. I held my head high and began to give short but respectful answers. I began to hear, “no weapon formed against me shall prosper…” in my head and repeated it over and over again, almost saying it out loud during the long meeting. I signed my name to a document agreeing to her terms and walked out of her room, being told that I had better not show out, like the last time. Yes, I had failed many times before to hold myself together and made sure the whole office knew that I was upset. Another threat. Oh how she was using trusted conversations against me. The worst part was, I had known better, yet my flesh failed me and I gave her the upper hand.

When the work day ended and I was finally home and calm after many tears, I went to my journal and looked back on my quickly written words from that morning’s devotion. I had over slept and my prayer time was cut in half. I remember that morning thinking, how may Psalms do I have to read about the enemy chasing King David and him crying out for help? By evening, I was thankful for the heartache of that loved King.

Psalm 71 : 3

Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually;

You have given the commandment to save me,

For You are my rock and my fortress.

My Rock and Fortress knew exactly what I needed to start my day, yet I had forsaken quality time with my Savior that morning. I slept very well that night, after writing in my journal and vowing to put my trust in the Lord. By morning, however, my flesh began to fail and the butterflies in my stomach were back, as I tried to make sense of all that was happening.

Psalm 71: 14

But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.

I read my devotion, wrote in my journal and then headed outside to the front porch. I love to listen to the birds sing early in the morning as the sun rises over the land. The sound of the birds was soon replaced with this beautiful chorus of scripture in my head. I heard the scripture coming from all around me just like the birds singing.  I wish I could have recorded them, so fast and so many all at once, yet in separate time. When I began to hear the birds singing again, I had a soft flow of tears gently falling from my eyes, even now, I feel the tears as I remember the chorus of scripture from that morning. God singing to me, nothing more beautiful has ever filled my thoughts.  I could hardly speak, through the tears, to my husband, as I told him about it.

Ephesians 1: 11-12

We have also received an inheritance in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.

My God, has been glorified through this situation. I learned a valuable lesson about fully trusting the Lord, and yet, this flesh is weak and when the next storm comes, I can only pray I stand strong. We have been predestined to receive the inheritance of God. All of us, not just the ones that accept this gift, all of us. Sadly, many choose to walk away from their inheritance. I fear for the person I spoke about above.  I can only pray for her and hope that my strength in Christ, will one day lead her to the Father. I ask you all join me in prayer for her, as well as others that neglect to collect on their inheritance.

James 1: 2-4

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  

But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

When we are faced with a storm so strong that it threatens to tear us apart, it is hard to consider those gale force winds to be, “great joy”. The hardest part for me is to just let go. I still want to go to that place of anger and defend myself. My God took me from Egypt and delivered me into a promised land and yet I dwell on the pain of the past.

In, Ephesians 1: 12, scripture tells us that our faith in the Messiah serves to bring praise to His glory. This is the road that we, as followers of Christ, should take when a wrong is done. Praise the Father for His blessings leave the anger behind. It only serves to cause pain and sickness.

Imagine, if you will, that you have a car that is constantly breaking down, it gets terrible gas mileage, needs new tires, the paint is rusted and it runs hot most days. You pray for a new car, long for one and then out of nowhere and just when that car has completely fallen apart, someone gives you a new car. Great gas mileage, new tires, the paint job is fresh, and it purrs like a kitten sitting in a warm lap. How do you think the giver would feel, if as you drive around in the new car, you do nothing put complain about the old one? Never praising the blessing of the new car because you are focused on the old one?

Father, I praise you for the blessings. I humbly accept the storm as my education and count it pure joy that you would see fit to use storms as means to educate me and allow me to be a servant of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I pray for any reading this today, that they praise you for blessings and storms.  Amen.