16 August 2014 - spirit joy child

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.

Have we experienced the joy to which Jesus refers?  He tells us the he wants his joy to be in us that our joy may be complete (cf. Joh. 5:11).  The kingdom of God is ultimately about "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (cf. Rom. 14:17).  If that is what the kingdom is about then it isn't an optional add-on for saints.  

Children are naturally joyful.  But it does little good to tell a morose child to cheer up.  Children who aren't joyful don't make the mistake of trying to manufacture joy.  They receive it.  It might not be as soon as they want but it does come.  And when it does they have no memory of the thing that made them sad.

Children were brought to Jesus
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

So even when the LORD tells us to "make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit" we should see the context.  Just above this we read that we must turn and be converted.  In other words, we must look to the LORD and rely on him for joy instead of ourselves.  When we look to him and rely on him we do our part to create the new heart he wants us to have.  He says "make for yourselves" and then tells us how to get his power to do so.  If we try to make it for ourselves without turning to him, without coming before him like children, we will fail and fail hard.

So when our lack of joy causes us distress as if we are failing somehow let's not worry too much.  Let us content ourselves to know that joy is a gift the LORD wants to give us in his time and season.  Let us ask:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 15:13).

Let us ask him for a heart that is clean from our jaded and cynical attitudes and open to the joy he wants us to have.  He has "no pleasure in the death of anyone".  And seeing us joyless doesn't make him happy either.

LORD, we come to you as children.  We set our gaze upon your face.  Lay your hands upon us once more to fill us with your Spirit of joy.