Day 15 – I am JOYFUL

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.” Romans 15:13

One of the most precious realities that I had the privilege of gaining, was the discovery of joy. After great misfortune, which included alcoholism, the loss of my husband to a stroke, the suicide of my 14 year old daughter and the loss of everything we worked for, it was a great surprise to discover that after mourning, joy comes again. But it is not the same joy as before, it is not frivolous and flaky, but deep and abiding, because this joy has gratitude coupled with it, it is shrouded in hope, because you now know without a doubt that nothing is impossible for God. It is a joy that makes you sing praises even when everything seems to be falling apart, it is a joy that enables you to encourage others even when you are going through difficult times, it is a joy unequalled, because it is not coupled to anything in this world, but with heaven. This joy comes after we allow God our Healer into our pain to heal us end show us that our joy was never to be found in circumstances, but it was all in Him. Wherever there is a place in your life where you still keep that hurt hidden, cherishing it out of fear for what may come when you allow God in, I encourage you to trust Him with it, He is able to do more than you can dare to think and His love motivates Him – let Him be Healer.

Prayer: Mighty God, how powerful must You not be that You are able to take the tatters of a broken soul and not only put it back together, but put it back together better than it was before, being more powerful and filled with a deeper joy than one could imagine. You are the only One able to bring joy out of mourning and we acknowledge and recognise You. May we bring all our broken-heartedness to You, so that we may attain fullness of joy. In Jesus name. Amen

Love, Anna-Mart Nel

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