A Prayer for Foleness of Joy by Christine Brown, read by Lea Martin.

You make known to me the path of life.

In your presence there is fullness of joy.

At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

I recently met up with two friends I hadn't seen in a long time.

Seemed like forever since we'd laughed and swapped stories and simply enjoyed being together.

The time I spent in their company gave my weary soul the boost of joy it needed.

I hadn't realized until that day with friends how parched my spirit had become.

So much despair in the world was affecting my attitude, grief and disappointment added

to the burden of hopelessness I had chosen to carry.

Sure I had plenty of reasons to be joyful, but I'd forgotten to actively seek joy in

my everyday life.

When we forget to seek joy, weariness will gradually take over.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 16, you make known to me the path of life.

In your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

In these beautiful words we find hope for when we need more joy in life.

The joy we long for can always be found in God's presence.

Time spent with God will replenish the joy we've lost.

As we invite him to lead us each day, we'll discover new pleasures.

Just like my much needed date with good friends, we need to prioritize time with the Lord.

So when wearing us or despair overwhelms us, the answer is to draw close to him.

Let's pray and invite God in, right where we are, allowing him to restore our joy today.

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