Great Joy

Worship VIII Day 15 There Was Jesus

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 31:1-8
John 16:31-33
James 1:2-3

Worship VIII, Day 15

Have you experienced times when you couldn’t see Jesus?
When the fog of confusion or pain cloaked you in isolation and fear?

I have. Recently, I was in such despair, I was blinded to Jesus standing right next to me, holding my hand and walking with me.

To be completely transparent, I am in a season of fighting for my marriage. At one point, I wanted to give up and call it quits. In my pain, I flung my questions to Heaven.
“God, why is this happening to me?”
“God, where are you?”
“God, I feel so alone.”

It is one of the hardest seasons I have ever experienced.
My heart was broken, crying out for God’s presence and His promises to reassure me.

Because God is so good, He gave me exactly what I needed.

One day, during a devotional time at work, my boss shared the song There Was Jesus, explaining how its message of truth had supported her like a rock through difficult times.

“In the waiting, in the searching
In the healing and the hurting
Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces
Every minute, every moment
Where I’ve been and where I’m going
Even when I didn’t know it or couldn’t see it
There was Jesus”

I sang to Jesus and cried my eyes out, letting the very present truth of my God-with-me soothe the raw, jagged edges of my heart.

But I did something else, too.

I prayed for God to take the blinders off of my eyes, so I could see Him clearly through this season. Searching for something to cling to, I asked Him to reveal His promises to me.
Because He is kind, He did exactly this.

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)

He reminds us life will be difficult and painful.
Yet, in the midst of our confusion and struggle, He promises we have access to His eternal, transcendent peace through Jesus because He has overcome the world.

“The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

He promises to go before us, never abandoning us regardless of our attitude, our circumstance, or our level of emotional control.
Never. He will never leave us.
In our darkest moments, when we feel most alone, we have only to reach out our hands to discover He is right there beside us.

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3, emphasis mine)
We can have joy through our trials, because our God is both good and kind.
When we cling ever tighter to God in the midst of our hardship, we grow closer to Him and our character becomes more like His. Our pain will not be in vain.

“On the mountain, in the valleys (There was Jesus)
In the shadows of the alleys (There was Jesus)
In the fire, in the flood (There was Jesus)
Always is and always was
No, I never walk alone (Never walk alone)
You are always there”

Circumstance in our lives change; God does not.

Whether we fling our arms wide atop a mountain, reveling in the blaze of unbroken sunlight, drinking in crystal clear air, unwaveringly certain of our place in the landscape stretched out before us . . .

Or we huddle in the shadowed and rocky valley, hungry and bleeding, too exhausted to take one more trudging step, fighting desperately against the enemy whisper that we are lost forever in this mire of suffering . . .

His promises remain true (scroll back up and read them again!).
His Spirit remains with us, for always. (Matthew 28:20)
His goodness remains unchallenged. (Psalm 31:19)
His kindness remains for all who turn to Him. (Titus 3:4-7)

Therefore, in any circumstance, we can fix our gaze upon Him,
and find a God worthy of our authentic worship.

In joy or in pain, our spirits can declare,
“Blessed be the Lord, for He has heard the sound of my pleading.
The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to Him with my song.” (Psalm 28:6-7)

Sisters, how well I know the challenge of seeing God’s hand in the midst of trials. I pray in those trials, we draw faith from His past provision, proclaiming in chorus with today’s song, “There was Jesus.” I pray our faith gives us eyes to see through the chaos swirling around us to the One who is greater than all else, enabling us to say, “And here is Jesus.”

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship VIII Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship VIII!

The GT Weekend! ~ Reveal Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they declared “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Jesus’ birth was, and is, good news! We have the privilege of celebrating this good news every year at Christmas. Just as the Word of God went forth to fill the emptiness at creation, so also Jesus went forth from the Father to fill the emptiness of our broken world. His birth brought us the hope of Immanuel, God with us. As you consider the Christmas season, think about your traditions and rituals around Christmas. Are they filled with the presence of Christ, or are they empty motions to just “do”? What might be some ways you can celebrate the fullness of Christ as you celebrate His birth. What is one way you can incorporate others into your celebration, revealing to them the fullness of “God with us?” Consider inviting someone to join you for a meal or your church’s Christmas Eve service who may otherwise be alone. Or consider writing cards to residents of a local nursing home or members of your church who are unable to leave their homes. Share the Good News of great joy with all the people!

2) We live in a world of constant chaos. We don’t need to look far to see all the things causing the world to worry, fret, and fear. As people who trust Jesus, we do not need to be bound by chaos. We serve a God who chose to come down and experience the chaos for Himself, and then to make it right. Our God is in the business of bringing order from chaos. The world tells us we need to be in control, but God tells us He is in control. The world shows us we have every reason to fear, but God proves we can trust Him. We work endlessly to try to create our own peace, but God offers each of us true, lasting peace. As we anticipate the “busy” of the holiday season, there is a tendency to rush to complete every “to do” and “to purchase” list while forgetting where our peace comes from. Write down one or two ways you attempt to manufacture your own peace in stressful times. Consider how effective you have found these strategies in the past and whether they point toward the God of shalom or toward your own strength. Then write down two more strategies that would help you remember where true peace comes from and ask God to help you implement these new mindsets in your chaotic seasons.

3) There’s a popular saying you have probably heard, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” It’s likely supposed to remind us that while there are many trappings surrounding Christmas, from the music and decorations to gifts and great food, ultimately our celebration should focus on Jesus and His coming to earth. Yesterday’s Journey Study reminds us our fullness, our peace, and our joy ultimately do not come from this world, but from the Creator of this world. What would it look like if we truly believed Christmas was about more than giving gifts and decorations? Suppose we were to truly celebrate Jesus in this season? There is nothing wrong with enjoying the celebration of this holy day, just as Nehemiah and Ezra told the people of Israel to celebrate their holy days. But we must remember to turn our eyes to the author and perfecter of our faith in the midst of it all. Ask the Lord today to give you grace to remember Him during this season. Ask Him to give you opportunities to share your joy with others. As you celebrate and feast this holiday season, ask God to remind you in fresh ways of His “good news of great joy.”

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Romans 15:10-13 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people!
And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
let all the peoples praise Him!
And again, Isaiah says,
The root of Jesse will appear,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
the Gentiles will hope in Him.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer Journal
Immanuel, God with us, a very present help in times of trouble, You alone are the source of peace and joy. As I turn my thoughts to Christmas, I am so quickly overwhelmed. I want to do everything perfectly and please everyone around me. I know I become busy and distracted from the whole reason we are celebrating much too easily. I confess I work hard to look good for others, while also neglecting to worship and remember You. I admit my concern is often more tied to temporary pleasure than everlasting hope. Lord, help me when I am distracted! Thank You for Your gentle patience toward me. Thank You for giving us seasons of rejoicing in a broken world. Thank You for reminding us of Your great love for us. Teach us to find peace, joy, and comfort in Your goodness when chaos threatens to undo us. Guide us in the ways of true joy and lasting peace. Help us remember You are the reason we celebrate, and Your presence dwells among us because of the work You have done to rescue us from our sin.

Worship Through Community

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