Praying Girls By Sheila WalshSample

Day Five

“God, You turn my sadness into joy.”

Scripture: Psalm 30:11–12; John 16:33; Nehemiah 8:10

Do you have a friend who can always make you laugh? You know the kind of person I mean. Even on the worst day, just seeing that person’s face brings a smile to yours. 

God is a lot like that. He’s spilling over with joy, and He’s always willing to share. I’ve always loved the words of Psalm 30:11–12: 

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! (NLT)

When we walk closely with God, keeping lines of communication open between us and Him, it doesn’t mean we won’t come up against obstacles, struggles, challenges, and very bad days. It just means that those things won’t take us down. It means that regardless of everything that’s happening around us, we can be clothed not with sorrow but with unwavering, unlimited, overwhelming joy. 

Joy is not like happiness. Happiness tends to depend on what’s going on around us at the time. If you get good grades, that will make you—and your mom and dad—happy. If you get that puppy you’ve been asking your parents to get you for a gazillion years, that will definitely make you happy. 

But joy goes deeper. Joy is a spiritual gift, part of the fruit of the Spirit. It doesn’t depend on your circumstances. It comes from your relationship with your Father in heaven. The more time you spend in God’s presence, the more His joy will take over. 

God, this is a new idea to me that I can laugh in the face of hard times, that I can smile even when struggles are real. Help me to laugh today! Help me to dance with joy today! Help me to sing praises to You and not be silent! Help me to thank You for the good things You have done. Amen.