As we continue to bask in the summer sun, I’d like to share three more devotionals that might help us find joy in the month of July.
Find Joy ©2020, written by Shaunti Feldhahn, is “a devotional journey to unshakable wonder in an uncertain world.” Because most of us would probably agree we are living in an “uncertain world,” finding Joy can help allay our fears and our worries.
In Day 1 of this sixty-day devotional, the author shares a story about her family’s financial crisis. As she and her family were headed to a friend’s cabin in Colorado, they discussed their worries and concerns with Andrew Peterson’s song “Nothing to Say” playing in the background on the car radio. As breathtaking mountain peaks rose in front of them, they heard,
“And the mountains sing Your glory hallelujah;
The canyons echo sweet amazing grace;
My spirit sails;
The mighty gales are bellowing your name;
And I’ve got nothing to say.”—Andrew Peterson, ©2001, Provident Label Group, LLC
This experience helped her husband and her see that their problems were small in comparison to the greatness of God’s creation.
Feldhahn says, “We cannot feel despair and awe at the same time. That day in the mountains, our tears were not of sadness or even an overload of emotion. The emotion rising in us had a name: it was JOY. It was exulting, overwhelming awe at the majesty of our God. When we truly recognize the awesomeness of our God, we receive joy in return.”
These sixty devotions revolve around numerous elements of finding joy: practicing gratitude, asking for forgiveness, trusting with confidence, and hearing His commands. Each entry also includes space for reflection and inspirational quotes from some of the best in the business of Christianity.
“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.”—C. S. Lewis
“Do not check in with the screaming demands of the world before you exchange whispers with God.”—Lysa Terkeurst
“God has promised to supply our needs. What we don’t have now we don’t need now.”—Elisabeth Elliot
Mornings with Jesus 2022 is another book of 365 devotions that offer “daily encouragement for your soul.” Compiled by the editors of Guideposts and published by Zondervan Books, these entries are filled with proof that God provides our every need.
For example, if you’re following my blog, you know I’ve been sharing devotions this year and focusing on 2 Timothy 2:15. (Remember the VBS craft I made as a child?) Each month I worry a little (maybe more than a little) over whether I will find the subject matter I need. When I turned to the July 1 entry in Mornings with Jesus, I smiled as I read the scripture for the day: 2 Timothy 2:15. I’m not sure why I worry because He always meets my needs! In this July 1 entry the author relates a VBS experience helping fifth grade children navigate through the Bible. I was in fifth grade when I made the craft based on that same verse. God does work in mysterious ways!
Heidi Gaul reflects upon the joy of the summer in her entry based on 1 Peter 1:8: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
She compares the joy her cat finds in her presence to the joy she finds in the presence of the Lord:
I understand the simple joy Milo feels in my presence. Like him, I have a safe place to land when I need a break from the world’s bustle. During the quiet time I spend alone with Jesus, the serenity I experience restores me. He need not do anything—the privilege of His presence is enough. I sense His love for me and am filled with deep, abiding joy.
My simple need for His company—along with my complete trust in Him—delight Jesus. As I smile at Milo, I suspect Jesus is smiling too.
Speaking of company, M. J. Miller shares some “beefitting” advice about the benefits of community in her devotional Life Lessons from the Hive. As a beekeeper Miller has studied the habits of these miraculous creatures who work together:
“When bees work in harmony, they produce honey, the sweetest nectar on earth. . . . Each bee in a hive has a job to do, and they don’t argue about it. They work together for the good of the colony. . . . God gave the honey bee such a strong sense of community that every bee lives sacrificially for the family. A community of believers should work that way too.”
Miller suggests that we learn from the bees. If we work together in harmony, we can find much joy.
Singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson also reflects upon the value of community in his memoir Adorning the Dark. Even though this book is a memoir and not a devotional, I wanted to include these lines because they are “spot on,” as my students would say: “Community, you see, doesn’t really exist online. It wants to happen in person, over a meal, during a conversation, where two or more are gathered in God’s name.”
I hope you find community and experience the mysteries of God as you look for joy in July. As you view a spectacular sunset or celebrate July 4th with family and friends or relax in a backyard swing or take time to watch a bee buzzing around a cluster of clover, realize that God is in everything around you. Bask in the joy of His blessings!
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”—John Keats
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”—Romans 15:13
Nehemiah 8:10; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Chronicles 16:27
