Clay in the Hands

This past Sunday, our church hosted the high school baccalaureate service.  It was my honor to speak to the graduating class and challenge them as they cross this threshold in their lives and move into a new phase of their journeys.  One of the things I discussed was the difference between happiness and joy.  Happiness is fleeting.  It is dependent on how we feel.  When things are going our way, we tend to be happy.  When we have a bad day . . . not so much.  The bad news is, we are all going to have bad days from time to time.  Things are not always going to go our way.

Joy, on the other hand, is lasting.  It is more than a feeling, it is a confidence in knowing the end of the story.  It is the contentment that comes when we remember that God is in control.

Today, I used Psalm 51:10-12 as my reading.  Here is what it says:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, 
   and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 
 Do not cast me from your presence 
   or take your Holy Spirit from me. 
 Restore to me the joy of your salvation 
   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

I have always loved verse 10 where the writer asks God to create a pure heart within him.  But today, my mind locked in on verse 12 where the author asks for the joy of God’s salvation to be restored to him.

Do you ever get so tied up and weighted down in the day to day grind and the problems that come your way that you forget about the joy you possess?  The joy that is available to you simply because you know the Creator of the universe personally?

It happens to all of us.  Sometimes we do need to be reminded of the joy that is ours as believers.  So today, my prayer for you and for me is an echo of the psalmists words:

Lord God, I ask that you renew your joy in us today.  Remind us of what your salvation truly means.  And then, help us to live that joyful life today – regardless of our circumstances.

Amen