As you trust in him…by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, we’re constantly being plucked of all those expectations that we once had as far as religion had taught us. And it’s not easy. Sometimes, just when I thought that I was done with religion, then I found myself confronting a religious expectation that I had not realized that I was still holding on to.

You could be driving a car for many years, and then one morning the car stalled in the middle of the road. Then our first reaction ends up being, “this can’t be! This car has been good to me for so many years.”

Right there and then we lost sight of our joy.

Losing sight of our joy is a constant challenge for all Christians. When we set our joy to be a particular thing, a particular condition, a particular circumstance, then very easily our joy slips away.

It is not easy. Just when you think you’ve got it, things then change. My mistake, in these cases, is in seeking joy from things. In the back of our minds, a whisper goes, “Lord, if only you could fix this issue for me, I would be so joyful.”

With such prayer, we’ve made the resolution to the issue as our source of joy. And that’s where we fail.

Are we not to seek comfort, in the midst of our trials? Yes, we are. But which comfort do we usually seek? Is it to see the trial over or resolved? For the most part, yes. But is that the comfort that we ought to be seeking? The answer is no. The comfort we ought to be seeking at all times is Jesus. It is our joy of having him that should help us endure whatever the change, whatever the trial we’re going through.

A great reminder is found in the following words:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

As you trust in him…by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I can’t be true in saying that I trust in God but yet I go on trying to do things by my own strength, or the limited understanding that I have. Anxiety tells us that we know enough and ought to act based on our “enough” knowledge. And failure always results whenever anxiety is driving.

As you trust in him…by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Father, by the power of your Spirit, I count on you to help me always trust in Jesus, your Son as the provision to every single need that I will ever have in this world and the world to come. Amen.

That’s all I ask and all I hope for, in the name of Jesus. Amen.