The Lord Gives Joy
God is so good, and yet I started out this week not wanting to be grateful at all--missing my family afar, missing playdates and friends, and being irritable with my husband and children. Sometimes being miserable seems easier and more satisfying than obedience. Maybe I'm not alone in this struggle with melancholy, the struggle to even want to be grateful, forgetting that each breath of life is grace in view of what I deserve (hell)! But the Lord is good to give me even the willingness to praise Him when I ask/plead/cry out! Then the Lord brings this to mind, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12) Lord, please give me the grace and even the willingness to be steadfast in trial, to praise You! Then, this morning, I was reminded, "and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for t...