My Prayer for You...December 15, 2013

My prayer for you and me this third week of Advent is simply to be filled with JOY.  Whether currently living in a happy, fulfilled, and content season of life or struggling to get out of bed every morning feeling the despair of taking in one more breath; my prayer for you and me this week is to be filled with JOY...supernatural JOY...unspeakable JOY.  
The Joy of the Lord is (our) strength. (Nehemiah 8:10 ESV)

Over the last six years, I've learned a whole new and deeper meaning of JOY from the circumstances of life, through which the Sovereign Lord has allowed me to persevere.  

A season of dark days full of uncertainty regarding marriage, and sons leaving home; the pain of allowing children to become adults by their own choices, the recognition of unforgiveness in family relationships growing bitter roots, and the despair of understanding failure.  I've endured a season of longing and pleading for reconciliation, freedom, love, peace, and JOY!  

I've discovered it is true (Psalm 30:5), "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."  The journey of the last few years has been through some of the toughest terrain I've walked in my 50 years of life, and yet I understand this path may just be training ground for experiences still ahead.  Only God knows the full view of our pathway home toward His Kingdom.

No matter what lies ahead, these past few years are precious to me for they have forged in me resilience, faith, assurance, strength, hope, love, forgiveness and most of all JOY!

Thus, in this third week of Advent, my prayer for you and me is to ask and receive...

Lord, Jesus, Sovereign and Merciful God, You know where we walk on this journey with You. You see us for You have never left us nor will You ever forsake us.  You know the terrain and how You will use it to train us for Kingdom living. You know the good plan You have for Your children; Your plan to continually refine us into the image of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  We declare our gratitude that JOY comes from You, and is available for the asking.  So, Lord God, we ask for a filling to the full of Your JOY and receive Your JOY as our strength for our journey...divine journey with Jesus. For Your Glory, Amen and Amen!

Nehemiah 8:10,  Psalm 16:11, Psalm 30:5, Psalm 51:11-13, Psalm 84:1-3, Psalm 126:5-6, Isaiah 49:13, Isaiah 55, Jeremiah 15:16, Zephaniah 3:17, Luke 2:10, Luke 19:5-7, John 16:24, John 20:20, Romans 5:4, Romans 15:13, 2 Corinthians 8:2, Galatians 5:22, Philippians 2:2, 
Colossians 1:11, Hebrews 1:9, Hebrews 12:2, James 1:2, 
I Peter 1:8, 3 John 1:4, Jude 1:24, Revelation 19:7