1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is about finding joy even 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 2: when we don't understand what God is doing in our circumstances. 5 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 2: We'll return with the devotional after a brief message from 6 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: our sponsors. Our Promise of Joy, written and read by 7 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 2: Cindy McManamon. For you will go out with joy and 8 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 2: be led in peace. The mountains and the hills will 9 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 2: break into shelts of joy before you, and all the 10 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 2: trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah fifty 11 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 2: five twelve, New American Standard Bible. Could you use some 12 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 2: joy in your life right now? Have circumstances discouraged you, 13 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 2: causing you to wonder where God is or why He 14 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 2: allows what he does. It's difficult at times to understand God, 15 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 2: But according to scripture, his thoughts are not like ours, 16 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: and his ways are not like ours either. The Bible 17 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 2: says we're foolish to think we can ever fully understand 18 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 2: the mind and ways of God. We can tend to 19 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,919 Speaker 2: think we have him figured out, and then he seems 20 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 2: to act out a character by allowing something that we 21 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 2: don't understand. But my friend God is always consistent with 22 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 2: who he is, loving, all knowing, all powerful, and faithful 23 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 2: to the ends of the earth. So if it seems 24 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 2: like God is disappointing you, failing you, or abandoning you, 25 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 2: you must not have the whole picture yet, and spoiler alert, 26 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: you might not see the whole picture this side of heaven. 27 00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 2: It occurred to me as I was reading through Isaiah 28 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 2: fifth five, verses eight through twelve, that God was not 29 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 2: only telling his people through the prophet Isaiah, to trust 30 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 2: his ways in his timing, but he was giving to 31 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 2: them the formula for joy. He wasn't just saying joy 32 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 2: will someday be yours as you trust me. He was 33 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 2: saying joy was a result of understanding who He is 34 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 2: and that his ways are sometimes unexplainable. In Isaiah fifty 35 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 2: five eight through eleven, God offers these encouraging, comforting and 36 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 2: for me they were life changing words. For my thoughts 37 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 2: are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, 38 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 2: declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than 39 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 2: the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, 40 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 2: and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain 41 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 2: and the snow come down from heaven and do not 42 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 2: return there without watering the earth and making it bare 43 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 2: and sprout, and furnishing seed to the soul and bred 44 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 2: to the eater. So will my word be, which goes 45 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 2: forth from my mouth. It will not return to me 46 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 2: empty without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 2: the matter for which I scent it. Those four verses 48 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 2: of Scripture assure us that even though we don't always 49 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 2: understand God's thoughts and his ways, he is still God, 50 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 2: and he can still bring something good out of what 51 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 2: he is allowing. And therefore, as we trust his ways 52 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 2: in his timing, we can go out with joy even 53 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,119 Speaker 2: when we can't see it all. Yet, joy isn't automatic, 54 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 2: and joy certainly isn't connected to our circumstances. Rather, joy 55 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 2: is the result of understanding that God's ways are so 56 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 2: far above our own. God was telling his people in 57 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 2: verses eight through eleven that his thoughts were not just 58 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 2: different than theirs, but higher than there, and his ways 59 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 2: were better than theirs, fuller than theirs, accomplishing so much 60 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 2: more than theirs. And therefore joy was theirs as they 61 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 2: accepted that God's ways and timing are different, but so 62 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 2: much better and he can be trusted. The wonderful thing 63 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 2: about this promise of joy in Isaiah fifty five twelve 64 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 2: is that it follows that comforting passage assuring us that 65 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 2: God's ways are not like our own. He doesn't mess up, 66 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 2: he doesn't miss a thing, and he is always working 67 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 2: on our behalf as we trust and honor him. Intersecting 68 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 2: faith in life, can you trust his ways, my friend, 69 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 2: regardless of your circumstances. In addition to this comfort in 70 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 2: Isaiah fifty five eight through twelve, we are assured in 71 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 2: Psalm eighteen thirty that all God's ways are perfect, and 72 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 2: in addition to his perfect methods and timing, he is 73 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 2: a shield to all who take refuge in him. Trust 74 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 2: this God, whose ways are higher, better, and more eternal 75 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 2: than yours, and experience the joy that comes from being 76 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 2: able to say I don't understand, but my trust is 77 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 2: in Him. For further reading, see Psalm one twenty one. 78 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,479 Speaker 2: For more untrusting God with your whole heart. See my 79 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 2: newest book, The New Loneliness Devotional, Fifty Days to a 80 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:30,599 Speaker 2: Closer Connection with God. 81 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what 82 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: you heard today, we want to make sure you know 83 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:44,160 Speaker 1: about our sister podcast, Your Daily Prayer. 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