Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great joy that I welcome you to the transition week between this year, 2024, and the new year ahead of us, year 2025. My prayer that is that God will see to it that you move into the new year with overflowing joy, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now one of the ways to experience overflowing joy over ever matter of our lives is to pray. Jesus says this to us about joy: “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24NIV) Did you see that? How do we experience complete joy or fullness of joy in our lives? It is by praying to God.
So, what we need to do is to identify those areas of our lives in which we are not happy at all or in which our joy is not full and begin to talk to God about them. And the Lord Jesus has already assured us that if we will do so, we will receive answers to our prayers and that will result in fullness of joy for us. It is now up to us to either pray in order to experience fullness of joy in our lives or not to pray and remain sad.
For instance, as we are told in the bible, Hannah used to be a very sorrowful woman. Why? First, it was because she was barren. Second, it was because the second wife of her husband, Peninnah, used to torment her because of her barrenness. Truly, her husband, Elkanah, often did his best to comfort and make her happy. But his comfort was never sufficient to keep her from crying or being sorrowful. (Cf. 1Sam 1:1-8)
However, one day, Hannah decided that she was going to talk to God about that which was making her sorrowful every day. And after that prayer session, sorrow disappeared from her life. Look at what the bible says about that: “…Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.” (1Sam 1:18NIV) Did you see that? Through prayer the joy of the Lord rose up in Hannah’s heart and drove away her sorrow. Not only that, through her prayer that day, she received a baby boy from the Lord. And that, of course, made her joy overflow.
In like manner, if we will pray to God about any matter that is bothering us or filling us with sorrow, He will answer us. How? He will first cause His joy to well up in our hearts and drive away our sorrow. Then He will cause the answers to our prayers to manifest. That way, His joy that is in our heart will begin to overflow and result in thanksgiving to Him.
So, though we are in the last days of this year, I want you to know that it is not too late for you to have sorrow banished from your life in all ways or to experience overflowing joy over every matter that is bringing you distress. All you need to do is pray to God, as Hannah, did. Yes, pray to Him out of a sincere heart, telling Him everything that is bothering your heart and what you want Him to do about it. And He will answer you, drive away your sorrow and also perform for you miracles that will cause you to overflow with joy, even before this year ends.
Now, as I look forward to hearing your testimonies, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you both now and forevermore. Amen.
Happy new year in advance.
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