December 12, 2001

Wednesday 2:40 A.M.

“Realm of Thy Joy”

     Softly, yet ever so gently I hear Thy call upon my life. This evening as I sit and reflect upon Your precious presence in my life, I feel Your inner peace. I find myself searching beyond all human comprehension. My soul is reaching upward and beyond all that holds and ties me down in this human nature. My God gives me unlimited freedom in Him.

     I seek to be in Your presence and it is a delight when I am there. As I journey with Thee, my thoughts and innermost feelings turn over to thoughts of joy. I pray for the ability to reside and place myself in the realm of Thy divine nature. Your nature to me is one of a higher power, a greatness that takes a hold of my ever-most thoughts. I shall enter into Thy presence and take hold of the great joy that is there to be received. Your Word directs us to enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and to enter His courts with praise. We are to sing that; “This is the day that the Lord has made, so let us, rejoice and be glad  in it”.  In the joy of my Lord, I find a great inner peace. I find such happiness that all is well. As I find and take hold of this joy in You, I discover that there is an awareness that all is well in You. A day without your joy is very uncomfortable and leads to the loss of feeling Your pure presence in my life. It may seem in the lows of life that there is no way, yet my heart says, “Joy will come and replace the uncertainties of life.” You mention in the scripture that we are to take courage and fear not I believe 365 times. I found that joy like other fruits must be grasped.  They will not just fall on us. We need to reach out and take them by force. Like a cool refreshing drink of water. I must make a conscious effort to dip in to get the water that will quench my thirst. I see now that it is perfectly possible to die of thirst standing right next to a springing well.

     I know Lord that all good things come from above. A life that is circumstanced controlled is not of Thy will. In all good and bad times I must praise You always, like reaching down into the well for satisfaction. I reach: I decide:  You most holy God are my strength. You give joy to those that hunger and thirst for that which is all good and righteous in Your sight. In the realm of Your joy is a great feeling of warm love. I feel an out-pouring of Your Holy Spirit. (Those who come to God must believe that He is and He rewards those who seek Him.) Our reward is becoming aware of Your presence. You are always there in all circumstances. Your Spirit leads me onward and there is much contemplation on the happiness that has changed my life. I am grateful to Thee for the joy and love that I feel this night.

     As the night unfolds, I set myself apart from the uncertainties of life. I enter into Thy presence and seek Thee in all things. A joy I see in the morning sunlit skies that shine upon my face each day. A warm kind smile, and Your gentle way I shall learn to embrace. To all gloom and despair, I say; “You may not have your way, for I am aglow and surely it is He in charge of this life of mine”.

     My Lord is full of joy and He wears a robe of righteousness. In His ever-present countenance I see and feel His light of love that penetrates deep, deep down into my soul. I shall not be distracted by what I see, nor shall I be moved by all that seems to step in my way. I take hold of Thy joy, Oh Lord! Joy comes to only those who will take hold and keep it close in their hearts. I seek to be led onward by Your great divine leading. As You lead me in Your ways, I will place my pure trust in Thee.