Joy: Week 1 - Day 3
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord this is your day, a day you have prepared for me. Help me keep my eyes on you and look to you for how to live with confidence and joy. Amen.
READ:
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (New Living Translation) James 1:2-4
REFLECT:
Esther Ahn Kim was a Korean Christian who spent six years in Japanese internment camps because of her faith in Jesus Christ. She refused to bow to pagan Japanese shrines. As a result she suffered the indignities and brutality of prison. In her book, “If I Perish,” Kim notes that in anticipation of the conditions she would experience and the likelihood that she would be jailed for her faith, she spent months eating rotten food and garbage to prepare her body. Esther took note that Paul said “when” not “if”. She was no doubt also familiar with Peter’s words in II Peter 4:12, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” (NLT)
APPLY:
Jesus spoke openly to his followers about trials and suffering. He warned them that the world hated him, and it also would hate those who belong to him. The world is hostile in a natural sense but also spiritually. God’s word also assures us that we do not face trials and suffering alone. He is with us and will help us endure any difficulty, even the most severe circumstances. On the night of his betrayal, in anticipation of the suffering he was about to experience, Jesus spent time with his father in prayer. Following his example, we too can be prepared for whatever circumstance we face.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, thank you that I do not face the trials and challenges of this life alone. Help me draw near to you and look to Jesus as my example. In you I find joy even when my circumstances would overwhelm me. May you be glorified as your people remain faithful. Amen.