This week, I found myself pondering about how something or someone who brings you so much joy can also bring or cause you some sort of pain or diminished pleasure. In my opinion, It is somewhat comparable to a river pouring bitter and sweet streams simultaneously or as it pleases. This means one’s mood or countenance may be a function of this river which decides to do as it pleases. Illustratively, this could mean that whenever the river pours out sweet and I drink from it, I also have a sweet countenance and whenever it pours out bitter, my countenance is bitter as well. To drive my illustration a home, a little further, let us take the example of a job that one may have desired so bad for the longest time. So you have had the longest desire for this job, you have waited and prayed for it and you finally get that dream job. You are totally in awe at the miracle of landing your dream job and continue in this stride of joy for weeks, months, perhaps years. Until a season when you start to see a decline in the satisfaction derived from the job. Or perhaps there is that annoying colleague or boss that may deprive you of the complete joy of working at your dream job.
My imagination went further to picture an image where someone is somewhat dependent on me for their joy or happiness. What happens when I am not feeling or sharing as much joy as can rub off on them and vice versa? I also thought about the transient value of money. I thought about my first-ever paycheck, I was so elated and thought it was a lot and I could buy the world with it. But as I went down the line on the job, I began to feel dissatisfied with the paycheck, I wanted more and I probably still want more :). More so, the rate of inflation in the world points us to the fleeting value of money as well. Can money or anything in this world really satisfy us completely? Can anything here really give us unending joy?
The above illustrations are pointers to the desires and things that we tend to align our joys with here on earth. Sadly, they only last for a while. These things are not in themselves bad, they are great in fact! They are pointers to our good God who is concerned about our needs and He provides them for us. But it is also great for us to recognize that these blessings, desires, ambitions, and accomplishments are all fleeting. They would one day fade away, Matthew 24:35 tells us that heaven and earth would fade away. I’d like to believe that this includes everything that ever existed in heaven and earth would fade away. But there is something everlasting, something tangible that we can be so sure of today, tomorrow, and forever to give us lasting joy- the love of Jesus( I Corinthians 13:13)
King David recognized this and he spoke about it many times in his psalms but for this post, let us look at his words in Psalms 4 verses 6 through 7. He starts it off by showing us how people are in the constant loop of asking for things or people that would give them joy. Many people say, “who will show us better times?” – Psalms 4:6. But as for him, he has tasted and seen that only God can give the greatest joy compared to the joy he has gotten from having material possessions or associating with affluent people.
You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine – King David
Psalms 4:7
King David definitely experienced different kinds of joy: joy from having wealth, joy from becoming king, joy from going to war and coming out victorious, joy from falling in love, joy from getting married, joy from having children, joy from fulfilling his purpose yet he said that only the Lord gave him greater joy. And I cannot help but agree with him, in the Lord’s presence is where I can access joy unending – Psalms 16:11.
You may ask, how do I access this joy unending? Well, we can learn how to from king David who continuously accessed joy from the Lord. Below are the things I have been able to pick up from his life and how he accessed God’s “kinda” joy:
King David was friends with the Lord:
In my opinion, there is no better way of accessing a friend’s wealth other than connecting with them and being intentional about building a genuine relationship with them. King David recognized this and went all out to build a solid relationship with God, you can also do so if you desire this joy unending. To start off, you can say the prayers here and delve into the word of God. The more you read His Word, the more you are able to connect with Him while you learn about Him.
King David asked the Lord for this joy:
Because of the genuine relationship that king David had taken the time to build with the Lord, he wasn’t afraid to ask God for help always. He was so free with God, that He asked Him for anything and everything including the joy of the Lord. That said, you also can ask God for anything including that joy that you desire but you must ensure that you are friends with Him, you must also believe that He is able to give you this joy.
King David cultivated and stayed in the Presence of the Lord:
If there’s is anything I love most about King David, it is his heart and lifestyle of worship of the Lord. King David was constantly singing the praises of God, he was constantly in a posture of gratitude and worship of the father. And I am so sure that this posture of his gave him access to the presence of God. Because God’s word tells us how God lives in the praises of His children – Psalms 22:3. Even more, mind-blowing is that when God graces His children with His presence, He gives them so much joy that wells up nonstop- Pslams 16:11. In conclusion, I can say that King David enjoyed the non-stop joy of the Lord and we can learn from him.
Prayer Points:
- Lord Jesus, help me to know you deeply in Jesus’ name.
- Lord Jesus, please help me to cultivate and stay in God’s presence in Jesus’ name
Amen.