10 March 2013 - be thou my vision

10 March 2013 - be thou my vision

But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.

This is the plan Jesus has for us.  But is our joy still fleeting?  Can it still be taken from us by the circumstances of the world?  Of course it can.  We know this all too well.  The reason is that we do not yet fully see him.  We need to fix our gaze on him amid the waves of this world.  The source of our joy is that Jesus is risen.  We need to fix our eyes on this and no one will be able to take our joy from us because our joy will be based on the most unshakable and permanent of truths: the resurrection.

Paul is able to be so steadfast in his mission because he keeps the resurrected LORD before him.

One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”

Not that Paul is afraid of beatings.  But he is able to choose this path where he will be able to speak the Good News without hinderance because of the vision he has.  And at other times when he does go to prison or when he is beaten he is able to have joy there too because with the LORD always before his eyes he knows that even these difficult circumstances are being used to reveal God's glory.

All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth. 

The LORD is the king of the earth whether our circumstances are good or whether they seem bad.  The only way to hold on to this truth is to keep the vision of the risen LORD before our eyes.  Then not even death will shake us because the victory has been won.

God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.

Be Thou My Vision