What brings joy in your life?

“My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Psalm 27:8

What brings joy in your life?

My husband asked me the above question late one night as we discussed some struggles I faced. I must admit, the conversation came to a screeching halt with those six words. Before his question, I was busy lamenting several situations that weren’t going the way I thought they should and was completely focused on all things negative.

Silence filled the room as I pondered his question. I realized I was consumed by the negative in life instead of focused on the blessings of life. His question woke me to the realization that I needed to shift my focus off the negative and return it to the many things to be thankful for each day.

Friend, we are right in the middle of COVID-19 – a worldwide pandemic no one saw coming. Life as we once knew it no longer exists. In a matter of days, social distancing became a new word in our vocabulary. Businesses locked their doors, schools closed, and churches began meeting online. With life so incredibly different from pre-Covid, it would be very easy to focus on the negative.

Where is your focus?

So, I want to ask you… Where is your focus? Are you focused on the stress, worry, and questions you have in this season? Do you spend your day fretting over what might happen with your’s or a loved one’s health? Are you afraid of what the future holds for your income? Do you wonder how in the world you’re going to help your child be successful with ever-changing guidelines at school? Friend, each one of these concerns is very valid. I have these same concerns myself, but we must not stay in our stress and worry.

How do we shift our focus?

Psalm 27 gives us four steps to help us shift our focus from the negative to finding joy in our situation.

• Confidence in God – In Psalm 27:1-3, David expressed his confidence in the Lord. He declared “the Lord is my light and my salvation”. Where God is present there can be no darkness. (1 John 1:5) He is the source of our salvation, strength and protection. When we live confidently in God we have no need to fear, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31.
• Communion with God – David desired one thing and that is to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” Psalm 27:4. He knew that abiding in the Lord’s Presence would give him shelter from his foes. When we dwell in the Lord’s Presence we too can rest securely in knowing he loves us and has us in the palm of His hand. When our flesh and heart fail, God is our strength and all we will ever need. (Psalm 73:26)
• Conversation with God – Throughout the book of Psalm we see the importance David placed on communication with the Lord through prayer. In Psalm 27:7 David called out to the Lord and asked Him to be merciful and answer as he sought the Lord through prayer. When we spend time in conversation with God through prayer, we enter His Presence. It is then, when we are able to express our worries and concerns and experience his answer to our prayer.
• Comfort in God – Despite his circumstances David waited for the Lord. David knew the truth that he ” [would] see the goodness of the Lord”, Psalm 27:13. We too can live with the comfort that – all though our circumstances are not what we ever expected – as we wait on the Lord we will see His goodness.

What brings joy in your life?

Now it’s time for me to ask you the same question my husband asked me.

What brings joy in your life?

Is there something that you look forward to doing each day? In what small way has God blessed you today? How did you see God at work around you today? Pay attention to the small moments of your day and be thankful for the ways God is blessing you.

Take time this week to dwell with the Lord. Talk with Him in prayer. And thank Him for the many ways he is blessing you each day. While you are spending time with Him, write out the answers to the questions above so that you can refer back to them on the hard days. Because yes, there will be hard days. But, when those days come, you now know how to shift your focus off all things negative and remember what brings you joy.

In His Calm,

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