The Practice of the Presence of JesusSample

Sorrowful Yet Rejoicing

I can be enjoying a glorious symphony, watching a breathtaking sunset, delighting in my backyard roses, or thanking God for his awesome creation, yet still, there will be an accompanying sorrow.

Part of my sorrow is re­lated to my paralysis and pain, which never goes away; the other part is a heart-wrenching awareness that my crucified Lord gave his life so that I might enjoy the beauties of this world. Suffering has made me hypersensitive to God’s joys.

This wonderful and terrible mix of emotions—sorrow and joy—is described in 2 Corinthians 6:9–10, “Yet we live on . . . sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” In my most glad moments, the mingling of sorrow never goes away, and I would never wish it away. Our joys and sorrows do not exist on a continuum like "I was joyful the last few days, but now, sorrow has taken over and I wonder when it will end so I can get to rejoicing once more."

Joy and sorrow aren’t lin­ear. Good things and bad things are always happening simultaneously in our lives.

The blending of joy and sorrow is a wonderful affirmation of who we are in Christ, a kind of litmus test that tells us, “This joy you are experiencing isn’t frivolous or superficial. So be glad in that!” There are count­less reasons for our hearts to break, but Jesus Christ makes even those sorrows into repositories of his deep and pro­found joy. The example of our lives flies in the face of those who think that Christian joy is all about comfort.

When someone asks me, “Who is this Jesus, and what do you believe about Him, Joni?” I can confidently respond, “He is my fountain of joy in all my sufferings. Let me prove that by the way I trust Him.”

Meditate: If you are experiencing a strange mix of joy and sorrow, you are practicing Jesus’s presence.