Everlasting Joy

"But only the redeemed will walk there,
  and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
   everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
   and sorrow and sighing will flee away."
Isaiah 35:9b&10

I love the book of Isaiah. There is so much encouragement and insight found there that it is difficult to not write about it. The book is so insightful that it could be considered the fifth Gospel. God clearly showed the prophet many things not only for his own time, but for generations to come. Although many of the things Isaiah wrote applied to his own people and times, those prophecies are alive and speaking to us today. This is one of those.
    With all the difficulties that have been thrown at me in the past few years, I have lost a certain amount of joy. It is so easy to get caught up in the circumstance and forget that I have the ultimate joy in my life. I have eternal life, a personal relationship with the God of the universe, a dear wife whom I love with all my heart, a family that truly is my joy, and friends that refresh my spirit when I am with them. These things are blessings from God and will endure. All the other things in life may bring me temporary happiness, but true joy is only found in these eternal things. All things that God gives me, bring joy to my life. It is true that "weeping may remain for a night, but joy comes in the morning!" 
    There will come a day when the ransomed of the Lord will enter Zion with singing. Joy will be the hallmark of the celebration. Although there have been hard times in our lives, they will give way to days of rejoicing, days of singing, days of praising the Lord of Hosts. Of this I am sure: The redeemed of the Lord will not be forsaken. We will not be left to wallow in the struggles of the present. The future is glorious. The plans of God are sure and we will enter fully into them. The days of downcast spirits are nearly over and the days of uplifted heads will soon be here. The glory of the Lord will fall on the faces of the redeemed and we will reflect the brilliance of the Son. This is our hope, this is our desire, this is the promise of God.
    Sorrow and sighing will flee from us. Although we may be feeling this way now, there is a breakthrough coming. The barrier that seems to stand between the days of sorrow and the days of joy will be broken down. We will soon be on the other side and the old days of sorrow will pass away.. The joy we will receive will not be temporary, it will not last for only a moment in time. We will be filled with an everlasting joy that prepares us for the coming of the kingdom of heaven. Then, eternal joy will finally be ours. These are the promises of God. He is the One who loves us with an everlasting love, and cares for us with a relentless passion. This is our God. These are his promises. This is our hope. Everlasting joy is coming. Get ready for the experience.