Everlasting Joy

Our lives as Christians is marked by joy.  When we abide in God, we are deeply content as He fills us with joy as he delights in us, With his love he will calm all our fears and rejoice over us with joyful songs (Zephaniah 3:17). The hymn “Joyful, Joyful, we adore Thee,” written by Henry van Dyke is a beautiful hymn which expresses our feelings and desires of coming to know Christ and the promise of eternal life that promises everlasting joy.  We rejoice in the great love of God our Father and Christ our Brother as we celebrate the joy of being part of God’s family. 

As we journey through life when we encounter doubts, sins, sadness, and strife God gives us the strength to cope with them. Henry van Dyke said, “this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.”  This is what Jesus is inviting his disciples as they go through their sorrow to learn to adore and praise God who will transform our pain and heartaches to a deep and everlasting joy. Psalm 22:26 says all who seek the Lord will praise him, they will rejoice and their hearts will fill with everlasting joy.

There is no guarantee our life will be free from external trials and tribulations on earth. The Holy Spirit our inward teacher of the truth convicts, comforts, renews and strengthens us everyday as He reminds us of eternal life (John 16:8-15, Philippians 3:21).  However is it not wonderful that whatever our circumstances God loves us and is always listening to all our prayers and petitions (John 16:23-24;27). Jesus came to tell the world that God loves us and wants to share this intimacy as a Father and Friend. Jesus  promises that if we remain in Him, we will have peace through grace and complete joy that can never be taken away from us (John 15:10-11). Happiness is short lived but joy is deep rooted and everlasting. Everlasting joy is what salvation brings to us who believe (Isaiah 61:10).

Soli Deo Gloria

Everlasting Light

Your sun shall no more go down, 

Nor your moon withdraw itself; 

For the LORD will be your Everlasting Light, 

And your Days of Mourning shall be ended. 

Isaiah 60:20

As we look to day of the Lord’s coming Isaiah says on that day the sun will no longer be our light by day but the Lord will be our everlasting light. St. John in Revelation (Rev 21:23) says the glory of the light of our Lord will be the everlasting light of the New Jerusalem. The old order of creation yields to the new (2 Corinthians 5:17) says St. Paul as we are united with Christ by faith and baptism but on that day we will be totally changed in all ways to be in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

There shall be no more mourning St John prophesies in Revelation (Rev 21:4) because on that day as Isaiah prophesies death will be swallowed up (Isaiah 25:8) and Christ will dwell with all the people of the world.  No longer will we sense the presence of God sometimes but we will live in the presence of God forever. The Hebrew word for “glory” is “shekhinah” which refers to a dwelling or settling of the divine presence of God among his chosen people. We will all be recreated to live in divine fellowship with Christ and his new creation with the God being our everlasting light.

Soli Deo Gloria