Get up in the morning. Start a load of laundry. Make breakfast. Finish getting dressed. Get everyone out the door. Go to work. Attend meetings. Send emails. Drive home. Fix dinner. Straighten up. Jump into the bed. Start over the next day.
If I’m not careful, I will fill my days with all the things I have to do and not leave room for those things which nurture my soul, fill me up, or give me joy. The most important way to invite joy in is to make time to bask in God’s presence. Consider the words of Psalm 107:9: “For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
Amid life’s responsibilities, we can choose to engage our senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell in order to receive from God the simple joys that fill our souls. The psalmist affirmed that the Lord makes known the path of life (16:11) and also said, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (19:1). David realized that God leads us to the path of joy and also provides opportunities for us to engage our senses to enjoy our world.
Our souls will not stay “filled with joy” automatically; this filling requires our intentional participation. I am learning to more fully engage my senses as part of my relationship with God—to make time to look at the sky, listen to music, light the candles, savor a good meal, or go outside where I can feel the breeze. Through these habits, I am learning what it means to trust God for the joy he alone can provide.
Chrystal Evans Hurst is the author of She’s Still There and the co-author (with Tony Evans) of Kingdom Woman. These devotions are adapted from She’s Still There, out August 8 and available for pre-order now at Zondervan.com. You can find her at ChrystalEvansHurst.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ChrystalHurst.
