Joy in His Presence

"...You will fill me with joy in Your presence…" Psalm 16:11

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My mind is scattered this afternoon, with the chatter of children, the frustration of quieting arguments and hushing whiny voices that seem to pour out of our pre-teen daughters as of late. School was cancelled today, due to heating issues at the school, and all I can say to that is: Thank you, Madison School District. The weather is too cold for anyone to play safely outside, so today is a hibernation day for our family, and after an already long weekend, this added day of isolation means that cabin fever has just taken me over.

Have you ever had days when you just needed to breathe, and allow Jesus to just speak softly to you in a world that's loud, and noisy, and busy, and cold?

It doesn't matter if you're a Mom or not, we all have frustrations in our lives. We all have voices filling our heads, and chatter seeming to take our minds over. We all need peace, we all need quiet.

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David knew about needing peace. He spent 4 years running from Saul. 4 years hiding, running for his life, crying out to God for strength. It's safe to say David lived those years in a spirit of unrest. We know from his prayer songs that every day brought new challenges to David, and the Psalms reveal so much about David's struggle, and even more about his heart.

For years I used to think that David had a mood disorder, because from reading the Psalms, one day David is really high and the next he's really low. But isn't that just how life is sometimes? When we are under pressure from our families, our jobs, our finances…can't life just get overwhelming?

But David is a good model for us here, not because he shared in our busy lives, but because he sets the example of what we're to do in the midst of our current uproar.

When David was overwhelmed with life, he cried out to his God. Every time. He poured his heart out to his God. His desires, his needs, his fears, his praises, his triumphs, his joys. Whatever was happening in David's heart, it was given to God.

Our peace today, is knowing that The God who was with David, is The same God who is with us today. Surely He will meet us today, in the middle of our chaos, and bring our hearts peace.

Surely, if we quiet our hearts before Him, we will find joy in His presence.