But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. – Psalm 68:3

Christ came to earth for two reasons, to save man from eternal condemnation and reconcile us to God. In the state of reconciliation, believers become the true sons of God who are led by His Spirit. This is not to suggest that all who believe in Christ will live a trouble free life. No! In-fact, Christ told His disciples on several occasions that everyone who follows Him in this world will have trouble. He also told them, and by extension all believers, that He who lives in us is greater than what is in the world. As children of God, we must rest in this Hope and refuse to allow the happenings of this world affect our Joy.

In our verse for today, the psalmist calls the righteous – all who live by Faith in Christ alone – to be glad and rejoice before the Lord. Knowing that we live in Christ and He lives in us, we must embrace the truth that  His presence far outweighs any trouble we may be going through. We must fixate our eyes on the Joy of the Lord, the things He’s done for us, what He is doing and the far greater things He will do in the future. 

Let us seek to cultivate this kind of joy and happiness in our lives. Let us rest in the Hope that He plans to prosper us and give us a future, and let us rejoice in His presence and find joy and happiness in our relationship with Him. For when we do, we will experience a joy that is not fleeting, but eternal – a joy that will sustain us through all of life’s ups and downs.