Joy Overflowing in Hard Places

I am overflowing with joy in all our afflictions. —2 Corinthians 7:4

Life’s demands and ordeals sometimes seem like they’ll go on forever. We grow weary, at times fending off hopelessness and despair. Yet the Bible offers an alternative, based not on denial but on the reality of Christ’s presence— not rescuing us out of the struggle but meeting us right in the midst of it. Knowing that we’re held by a sovereign, purposeful, loving God means that joy isn’t only an available option but it is available in abundant supply, springing up from within and overflowing to bless others around us.

Looking at Paul’s life, we see pressures and persecutions of every type. Whips, rods, detractors, defamers. Jail time, hunger, travel, death threats. And yet thirteen times in Philippians alone— written from a Roman prison cell—he reminded the believers to “rejoice in the Lord” (4:4).

When you don’t know how much more you can take, remember where all this scrubbing and scraping is taking you. Remember what grace is doing here. Remember what joy can help you endure and who it can enable you to reflect to a joyless world.

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The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings ©2012 Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Scripture taken from The CSB