Joy Unspeakable

Do you ever get a song lyric stuck in your head? It has happened to me this morning, as it often does. In this case it's a little baffling. I haven't heard this song for years, and I can't even remember when, if ever, it was actually sung in a church service I was part of. Yet I can't get it out of my head! Joy unspeakable and full of glory, the half has never yet been told.

It is a gloomy morning here in the upstate of South Carolina. At least the rain has stopped! Gray mornings often lead to glorious sunshine later in the day. If not today, then tomorrow. Or the next day. Sunshine will come again! Perhaps thinking about that is what triggered the song memory.

Life is a lot like that, isn't it? We spend much of our life "in a fog", in the gloom, at least spiritually speaking. Even when we have trusted Jesus early in life, we don't really comprehend all that means. Our understanding grows as we do, in the physical sense, but also in the spiritual sense. And as we grow, the fog begins to lift and we see things more clearly. Continuing to grow in our faith means we see more and more clearly. Now we see things as through a mirror, dimly, as the Apostle Paul described it in 1 Corinthians 13. Eventually we shall see clearly, shall see Jesus face to face. And that will indeed be "joy unspeakable and full of glory"!

But we don't have to wait until then to experience that kind of joy! We can live that kind of joy every day in the here and now. That kind of joy comes when we know that our eternity is secure, but also comes because we live every moment of every day in confident assurance that our God is in control. When we see everything that comes our way as coming from His hand for our good and for His glory. When we live with grateful hearts for all the gifts He gives, both large and small. When we know that we know that we know that we belong to Him. That knowledge, that settled certainty, that no matter what comes my way, I belong to Him.......that brings a life of joy!

Yes, tough times come. We have all experienced, particularly in these last few years since Covid disrupted our world. And perhaps that's another reason the old hymn has come to mind. It's a reminder from God not to give up. That He is in control. A reminder not to let the tough times rob my joy! Yet another reminder came to me in my quiet time this morning as I read these words: "[Jesus prayed], But now I am coming to you and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."  (John 17:13 ESV)

Joy unspeakable. Not because of circumstances. Often in spite of circumstances. But isn't that what joy is, really? Joy is not dependent on circumstances. Joy comes from a relationship with Jesus. Joy is not an external thing; it is internal. Happy times, grace gifts, tangible blessings......those are just a bonus! Joy is in the relationship. And it is joy unspeakable and full of glory!


"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy he caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuiness of your faith - more precious than gold that is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  (1 Peter 1:3-7 ESV, emphasis mine)

And just in case you aren't familiar with the old hymn I mentioned at the outset, here it is. This hymn was written by Barney Warren way back in 1900.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KskwIKSHqzk 

The Most Important Thing

 "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us….Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like." - A.W. Tozer

I recently came across a portion of this Tozer quote in a Bible study I'm involved in. This morning I went searching for the fuller quote. In this quote, there are four words that really grabbed my attention. These four words - the most important thing - have caused me to stop and think. To ponder, if you will.

You may be wondering about the author of this quote. Just who is he? A. W. Tozer was a  pastor in the Christian Missionary Alliance church and is perhaps best known to us for two of his books, both now considered classics in Christian literature, The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy. My copies of these books are well-worn and well-highlighted, and have had quite an impact on my life.

Think with me about this quote. What do you consider the most important thing about yourself? Is it your physical appearance? Or your education? Or your job? Or where you live? Or your family? Or your political affiliations? Or your opinions? Or your loyalty to a particular sports team?

Have you ever stopped to consider that question? And have you ever paused to consider what Tozer said? Have you ever stopped to think about what you think about God?

What do you think about God? How well do you know Him? What is your view of God?

Isaiah had this to say about his view of God:

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.' " (Isaiah 6:1-3)

That was Isaiah's view. What's yours?

How do we get to know God? How do we have a right view of Him?

Once we are in a faith relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, we come to know Him better through the pages of Scripture. As we read, and as we study, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to understand more and more about who God is, about His character and His ways.

Our right view of God is developed by time in His Word, and by spending time with Him in prayer.  And we express our right view of Him by how we live out our lives on a daily basis.

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:1-2 NASB)

Anniversary Week!

Those of you who know me know that I love a good celebration. And that I like to prolong the celebration, as in turning a birthday into a birthday week. This week is one of those weeks.

Saturday will mark another milestone in the journey of my life. 51 years ago - June 10, 1972 - I said "I do". For the past (almost) 51 years, my life has been shared with the man of my dreams. And what a life it has been!

We began our married life in a little house in the "Avenues" of West Columbia, SC. (If you're from Cayce/West Columbia, that will mean something to you. Otherwise, probably not!) When I say it was a "little" house, that's exactly what I mean. It was a very small house, about 900 square feet. We have since lived in apartments that were larger than that house!

We had some expectations when we married. We expected to live out our days in West Columbia. Or maybe we might move to Cayce! Certainly we expected to live out our days in the Midlands of South Carolina. We expected that we would someday move to a larger house. We expected that we would have children. I'm sure that back then we had other expectations as well.

In many ways, life has far exceeded our expectations, even our wildest dreams. Over the years we have moved far beyond the boundaries of Cayce/West Columbia. Far beyond South Carolina. To Colorado and to Connecticut. To Minnesota and to Florida. (How’s talk for climate extremes!). We lived in the mountains of North Carolina, and now we find ourselves back in our home state.

We have traveled to places we once only read about or dreamed of visiting. All across these United States. Thanks to our road trip in 2015, we have now both been in all 50 states at least once. We've visited such far away places as Tokyo and Paris. Sydney and Cairo. Edinburgh and Jerusalem. And numerous other spots in between. What an amazing journey we have had together!

I've said many times before that every journey has hills and valleys, smooth roads and potholes. Sometimes the scenery is beautiful. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes the road is straight. Sometimes there are curves. Bends in the road. It's all part of the journey. And we've experienced some of all of it!

Even so, there's joy in the journey. Joy because we're right where our LORD wants us to be. Joy because we're taking the journey together. 

As we have been for almost 51 years. Through thick and thin. In good times and in not-so-great. Through it all. Together.

These last few years have certainly put the "for better, for worse; in sickness and in health" to the test! My stroke was definitely not on our bucket list! Even through all that, there is joy in our journey. 

And I wouldn't want to take this journey with anyone else!

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved’s is mine.” (Song of Solomon 6:3)