A Prayer for a Joyful Heart by Chelsea Dimitias, read by Liam Arton.

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice, Philippians 4-4.

It can be easy to get caught up in the heart or uncontrollable circumstances of life.

I know I sure have.

I spent one season in particular feeling conviction over my lack of joy.

Yes, some things took place that would validate a not-so-joyful response, but as for my

call as a Christ follower, I'm called to have joy because of him.

Have you ever been in one of these seasons, too, the type where your circumstances felt

like a swell in the ocean?

In this season I was reminded that in our Christian life, joy doesn't hinge on our

seasons of life.

Our joy can and should fully stem from our relationship with the Lord, and all that

he's done for us, and all that he will do in the ages to come.

Hall has always stood out for me as one to glean wisdom from when it comes to the sometimes

difficult topic of joy.

He was shipwrecked multiple times, endured much persecution, ministered in prison, and

yet he counted it all as joy for the sake of Christ.

We've been given through Christ's bloodshed on the cross the gift of true, unending joy,

a joy that's unchanging and unshakable because it's eternal.

It was bought at Calvary.

This true joy from Christ doesn't hinge on our circumstances or our abilities or the

standards of the world, and this is good news.

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