Joy Sorrow Overcome

I love to read Hannah Hurnard’s books. When I ran across a line in her book that read, “Joy is Sorrow overcome” it got me thinking. Last week God gave me a life lesson in Sorrow and Joy and gave me those EXACT words. Instead of just the transformation taking place within me, He literally showed me the transformation. That is He placed a seed of seeing in my heart and it has grown over the days as I've sat in wonder and prayer. When I ran across those exact words in one of Hannah Hurnard’s books I realized that God had more to show me. At times like this I have learned to sit down in prayer and with pen. I know there are many places in the Bible where God talks of turning our sorrows into joy, our mourning into singing, but there seem to be many Christians who live without Joy, without a Song, in one, many, or all areas of their lives. Praying that something God showed me will bless you.

An Introduction To Joy

I would love to introduce you to Joy! However, to make her acquaintance you may have to leave behind a few companions.

Some of you are best friends with the dark sisters called Fear and Dread. Somehow they pushed you right out of today and into tomorrow where you never live the present, but always future, which really can’t be lived today.

Others of you are more familiar with Sorrow, who is no relation to Fear and Dread. Sorrow either pulled you out of tomorrow to yesterday or out of today and into yesterday, but either way you live days gone by, which really can’t be lived today either.

Than again, a few of you may find all three your constant companions, living yesterday and tomorrow, but never today, and thus never really living.

I will tell you though, that if you are friends with Sorrow, you are not so far from knowing and living Joy. Joy has MANY things in common with Sorrow, for you see Joy is simply Sorrow transformed by Love. This process is sometimes long, painful, and bitter. Sometimes Sorrow may call in her sister Suffering or one of many distant cousins called Grief, Misery, Despair, Afflicted, or Torment, to name a few. But whatever the name, Sorrow or another, Love’s miracle transforms them to Joy.

So if ever Sorrow knocks on your door, don’t hide crouched quiet in the dark hoping Sorrow will think you are out; but throw wide the door. Don’t quake in Fear and Dread of the Sorrows that might come, but rather see them as opportunities and count them as Joy. Love knows all, Love sees all, Love bears all, and yes, Love makes atonement for all! Love is simply waiting to transform EVERY Sorrow, EVERY Suffering, EVERY Grief, EVERY Misery, EVERY Despair, EVERY Affliction, EVERY Torment, into something Good, and Pure, and Lovely. Love is waiting for you to offer up these sisters and cousins so that they can be transformed into companions of Joy, Peace, Grace, Praise, and Glory to walk with you throughout your life. Love has already paid the price for this transformation! But you must receive Sorrow first. And you must be willing to place your Sorrow into the ONLY Hands that can press from them the Oil of Gladness.

Some may have hidden miseries or afflictions kept hidden from the Seeing Eye. They are grieves that run deep, torments that are evil, miseries too painful to be shared. Mirrored only to self is a marred, distorted, spoiled image. But there is one waiting that finds joy in transforming pain, torments, despair and all others that fall into the family of Sorrow. He not only finds joy but unspeakable joy in doing this!

…But you must receive Sorrow first. And you must be willing to place your Sorrow into the ONLY Hands that can press from them the Oil of Gladness...

How I pray that NOBODY thinks I am belittling any pain, torment, fear…or whatever it may be that you are going through. I know that each is REAL, and each is PAINFUL, and each can become CRIPPLING. I acknowledge that. You see I have experienced those real, painful, crippling sorrows and fears myself. I know what it is like to make your own hell on earth. But more important than that is I know the one who loves you and me much too much to leave us there! The process of sorrow to joy is not a complicated one. It is often a painful and long one, but never complicated. In fact the catalyst to that remarkable transformation is called surrender. But maybe you find that hard to believe.

I want you to do me a favor. Think of someone, a Christian, who lives and breathes a life of joy and peace in the Lord. One who you may have thought I wish I could have what they have. Since I don’t want to continue writing “this Christian” I am going to give this paragon a name, Trust Without Fear. If you don’t know Trust Without Fear intimately, than the next thing will take a little more work on your part. You will need to write or call Trust Without Fear and say, hey can you tell me a little about your life. I will warn you before hand that you may have to be a bit direct and say tell me the pains and sorrows you have gone through as Trust Without Fear is probably more apt to talk of the Glory and Praise of God than of self. Now let me ask you…has Trust Without Fear lived a life free of sorrow and pain? Has Trust Without Fear’s life somehow been supernaturally sheltered and untouched by Sorrow, her sister Suffering, or any of their cousins? If your Trust Without Fear is the same as my Trust Without Fear I would say no! Trust Without Fear has lived much Sorrow, felt much Pain, had Suffering as a close companion, but what has made all the difference is that Trust Without Fear has also been a close companion with Surrender.

Is Surrender a stranger to you?

Surrender, Acceptance, and Trust

I want to introduce you to Surrender. But to know Surrender, you will also have to welcome her twin Acceptance, obviously not identical, their DNA (definition, nature, application) differ a bit, but twins none the less and you will find that one requires the community of the other.

Both realize that we are perfected through Sorrow and her sister Suffering, but Surrender is she who reminds us that times of Sorrow are those special seasons or trials prepared by our Lord to make ready our press to produce the oil of gladness and to transform us closer to the image of Y'shua Ha Mashiach, our Messiah Jesus. Acceptance is our reaction to Sorrow, a kind of reaction that paves the way for Sorrow to be changed into Joy. Both require a third companion called Trust.

Without Trust you will get no further in your relationship with Surrender and Acceptance beyond a mere acquaintance. You see, Surrender and Acceptance speak a different language and it is Trust who at first translates and as time continues teaches us the language of Surrender and Acceptance. Trust is sometimes called Faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And Faith is what gives us the eyes to see that those characteristics that most taunt us, our weakest, frailest and in our eyes most pathetic characteristics are produced into the loveliest, strongest, and most joyful of all.

Some of you may think Faith is a stumbling block or that it is unreachable. First let me tell you Faith is a gift. Freely given to those who ask of Yeshua. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2: 8. The strength or increase of faith is through hearing…Then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10: 17

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

1 Thessalonians 2: 13

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Isaiah 54: 11-14

God has such wonderful plans for you! A transformation into the most precious of gems! If you are lying in ruins today, feeling nothing more than a pile of rubbish, God wants not only to rebuild you, but also to make you more beautiful and splendid than ever! Feed on His Word, camp on His promises. Climb up on the potters’ wheel and into the hands of the Master Potter.

Shalom uv'rachah b' Y'shua Ha Mashiach
Peace and blessings in Messiah Jesus,
Love Cindy

2003

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