Advent Devotional: Make Room for JesusSample

Day 16: Make Room for Joy

If you have ever experienced intense physical pain, you know it’s hard to stay focused on anything other than what you are feeling. The pain can be all-consuming, clouding your thinking and distracting you immensely. But if you know the pain will end, it makes it easier to endure in the end.

While Jesus absolutely knew His death on the cross would be painful and incredibly hard, He knew it had to happen just as God had said so that great joy and hope could be found through His brutal death on the cross. When preparing His disciples, He compared the coming pain of the cross to a woman giving birth. These were His words to them...

"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy." John 16:20-24 (NLT)

Jesus said anguish would give way to joy. And then He went on to tell them that no one would be able to take away their joy. That was because the joy He had instilled in them was one that not even painful circumstances of the world could destroy. It was a joy that came from a deep trust in God’s promise of deliverance and eternity. The promise of that deep joy can still be found today in the life of a believer. It’s a gift that is a fruit of His Spirit inside of us. Joy beyond measure that is rooted in the deep work of Christ is a precious gift that cannot be taken away.

Reflect:

• When was the last time you experienced grief and pain? Why is it hard to see joy in the midst of pain?
• What is your reaction and behavior when you are going through a hard time?
• How does Jesus's death on the cross point us to the promise of "grief turning into wonderful joy?”

Pray:

If you are going through a hard time right now, ask God to turn your grief into incredible joy like He promised the disciples. Ask Him to plant the joy deep inside of your heart so that it transcends even the hardest of circumstances and sustains you beyond measure.