Nougat 24

Sometimes promises are stated as facts, and in the First Person singular. I believe that claiming those promises can be as liberating as the general ones. Consider today’s Holy Nougat and see whether you would claim it

“You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:11‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

While praising God’s goodness; the psalmist declared a factoid promise: that God directs his life. It is his/her reality, it is what God did for them. But faced with a serious decision, it becomes the unspoken point of reference to approach God for guidance. Plus, knowing that did not always mean that all persons in Israel were automatically attuned to God. It was somewhat dependent on the relationship – whether they were open to giving God free reign over their lives.

Should we take this as our own, we will recognize that having an openly honest and intimate relationship with Jesus gives us the same result. In fact, we should be able to recall one such incident in our lives where, following Jesus’ guidelines profoundly impacted us. And if not – it’s time to hold firmly to this promise and invite God’s intervention.

The glorious news is that there’s more to this promise. We are assured that we will be happy in God’s presence; so seeking God for direction ought to bring us joy! Now note; it doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen to us, even when in God’s presence. Bad things happen all the time, especially since the enemy of our souls would want us to believe otherwise. But our pleasure in God’s presence is not at all dependent upon what anyone else does on the enemy’s behalf. We have direct access to God’s presence Because of Jesus Christ (but that’s another promise, for another day).

A few question for us

– When we enter the Presence of God, do we anticipate having a joyous time?

– Why/not?

– If not, is that something we could now look forward to?

Although decision-making can be frustrating; we know who to turn to … the One Who created us and shows us the best paths. The One in Whom our joy is complete

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May all we seek be found in Christ