Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart;
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.
Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)
By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)
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Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We continue our journey of resonance toward Pentecost with this lessor known hymn. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early followers of Jesus Christ. He is our Teacher and Guide as well, the Joy to cheer and heal our wounded hearts as we follow Jesus. Let’s tune our hearts.
The Joy of Divine Presence
Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
So I start with a question. What is it in your life today that makes joy seem elusive? It may appear as though joy would flood your soul if you could just remove a certain hindrance or attain some goal or accomplishment. If you have been around long, and chased joy for any length of time, you know the fleeting nature of joy which is acquired in such ways. A change in circumstances is not what brings joy.
I have often said it is the presence of God that makes a difference in every circumstance. I say it because I believe it. I believe it because I have experienced it after first reading it in His Word.
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 ESV
The Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide. He makes known to us the path of life and that path always leads to the source of life. The Spirit reveals to us the very presence of God. In His presence is fullness of joy.
Joy is not the change in the circumstance that allows us to leave a pain behind, or welcome a delight. Joy is finding rest in the pursuit. Joy is finding God and His presence amidst the sadness, woes, disappointments, and wounds.
What have you too long believed was the thief of your joy? What have you focused on wrongly, instead of focusing rightly on the very presence of God? Are you willing to make your singular pursuit not joy, but the source of divine joy, the presence of God?
RESONATE!
Begin by acknowledging divine joy and thanking the Holy Spirit for His willingness to show you the path to it and God’s eternal pleasures. Confess any counterfeits you may have been guilty of pursuing instead. Ask for His forgiveness and His strength as you open you heart to the light of His unparalleled joy. Then simply take a few moments to open yourself to His work as you walk along this.
Cheering our Sadness
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
We all have to deal with sadness at times. It may be brought on by a longing unfilled, or a temptation acted upon. It could be the result of a virtuous loss, or an ill-gotten gain. Maybe the realization that you have mistakenly pursued lessor joy adds a layer of sadness on top of what you were already feeling. The sting of sadness is foreign to no one.
Often we compound our sadness by turning to ways of dealing with it that simply numb it for a time, rather than mitigating it entirely. I have been guilty on more than one occasion of trying to conjure my own way out from under the cloud of melancholy, instead of going to the one who actually has the capacity to cheer my saddened heart.
How about you?
In those moments, we cause ourselves even more pain, and shed what amount to needless tears, rather than simply going directly to the source the can cheer our hearts. The key component?
Faith.
We have to believe not only that He can, but that He wants to cheer us. It is our choice to believe. And that faith unlocks the power of the Spirit to do that work of cheering our saddened hearts with hope, joy and peace.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 ESV
The Spirit wants to help you learn to turn first to Him when sadness creeps into your heart. Let Him fill you with faith, and hope, and joy today.
RESONATE!
This is a crucial word to receive for all who endeavor to be resonant. If we do not believe God desires us to be resonant, joyfully reflecting the beauty of His presence to the world around us, then we can become and remain unnecessarily sullen. Ask the Spirit to fill you first with the faith to believe His joy, hope and peace are yours in Christ. Then ask Him to help you learn to walk with a cheerful heart that will be welcome change to all you encounter.
Jesus, thank You for bringing joy into my life as I rest in Your presence. Teach me to make that search my priority and to learn to turn first to You when sadness clouds my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Reverent Tuning!
Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.
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Video 17.3 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart;
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.
The Spirit brings us the joy of God as He reveals the person of God. Joy is different than happiness because it is not based on the circumstances which surround us, but on the nature and character of God. Thank Him for giving you joy even in difficult situations.
When we are sad the first place we should learn to turn is to the Holy Spirit. What is your inclination when sadness comes? Mine is sometimes to imagine what I can do to improve the scenario myself. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn to turn first to Him, the source of joy.
Looking to the Spirit to speak to our woes, as opposed to speaking to them ourselves, makes a lot of sense. Often we do not have much authority to make them depart, but He always does. Even when He does not immediately answer this prayer, turning it over to Him helps. Try it now.
And one final beautiful prayer. We all have wounds. Some of them have become scars, but others may still be bleeding. Ask the Spirit to heal your heart from wounds old and new, and then leave them and your heart in His capable hands.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
The post How to Have a Joy-Filled Heart appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Joy Divine – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/woman-silhouette-flare-joy-person-2188033/
Saddened Heart – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/heart-love-romance-valentine-3364667/
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