Filled With Joy

FILLED WITH JOY

a prayer to open

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

May your Kingdom come, may your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.

Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.

All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.

A lack of true, deep joy means we’ve lost our perspective—we’ve turned our attention to the things of this world and put our hope in temporary things. This is no surprise! The world can wear us down and turn us away from what’s true. When we’re able to see with eternal eyes—remembering what Jesus has done, that we are secure in him, and that God is right now at work to redeem, restore, and renew—we can live in joy. Of course, we can do this only as we remain connected to Jesus and cultivate our relationship with him.

• Where in your life do you see the kind of joy the paralyzed man showed after he was healed? In what areas of your life are you struggling to demonstrate this kind of joy?
• What is your life saying about the joy you have, whether to those who know you or to those who simply observe you?
• Take a few minutes in prayer, asking God to show you where you need to grow when it comes to the joy that naturally comes from his salvation. What did he illuminate for you?

Father, I long for an eternal perspective—one in which I can focus on what really matters and not get sidetracked by the insignificant and temporary. Give me eyes to see what to focus on in my life, my neighborhood, and the world. Fill me with your joy so I can, regardless of my circumstances, rejoice in you, knowing I am fully and forever loved and secure as your child. Amen.