As we finish up our second week of ministry, I've come to realize how important God's preparation for this trip has been. He has always known that I would be in Kenya for this summer, and He has continually been preparing my heart and spirit in order that I may glorify Him the most in my time here. One way He has prepared me in order that I may live up to what He has planned for me is by instilling in me a spirit of joy.
Over the past year and a half or so, the Holy Spirit has consumed me more and more producing overwhelming joy. Which is to be expected since one of the fruits of the Spirit is, infact, joy (Galatians 5:22) and as the Spirit's presence increases in our lives, so does the amount of said fruits. Unfortunately, until recently, I've been miscontruing what it means to be joyful in the way God intends it.
As glorious as Africa is, sometimes things don't go as expected. Sometimes we don't have dinner until 9 at night, sometimes we have to walk an hour home because we couldn't find a ride since the bodas (bicycle taxis) don't operate when it's raining cats and dogs, and sometimes church services last 3 or 4 hours. Since we have expectations, when those expectations are not met, we begin to complain or get frustrated. That's when I always think and pray that I may "choose joy". It's not easy, but God tells us that "the joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). To me, this means that whenever we're feeling weak or unable to complete a task, it's most likely because I am not being joyful in the Lord.
I don't think God expects us to be happy-go-lucky every moment of our lives, but I do think that He wants us to be joyful in whatever He is doing. There is always a reason when our expectations are not met, and although we might not be able to see it, God's purpose is always perfect.
Thursday to Saturday night, we have been attending revival nights at church. Saturday night, Pastor Charles spoke on Habakkuk. (For ya'll who don't know, Habakkuk happens to be my favorite book in the Bible as of the past month or so.) The basis of this book is that Habakkuk (the prophet) has expectations that God is clearly not meeting. God and Habakkuk have a conversation and God pretty much tells Habs here to chill out. By the end of the book, Habakkuk finally relinquishes all control to God. His last prayer is:
"Thought the fig tree does not bud and theere are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stall,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
~Habakkuk 3:17-18
And I think that's what true joy is. Not necessarily being happy when things go wrong but knowing that God is Soveriegn and still deserves our full worship.
Take some time today and examine where your heart is. Determine what is keeping you back from being joyful in the Lord and know that whatever is holding you back, God is bigger. God is greater, and He is more worthy to have our attention than whatever is distracting you from worshiping Him completely.
Oh, and read Habakkuk when you get the chance 🙂
