You don’t have to look real hard to find great things God has done for his people in the Bible: he saved Joseph and his family from famine, he set them free from Egyptian slavery. Kings David and Solomon led the little nation of Israel to prominence. And God brought Israel back from Babylonian captivity. Jerusalem had been destroyed. They’d experience rape, murder, even cannibalism. They’d been forced to march 600 miles through the desert. They were taunted and mocked. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, God delivered them! Life is like that a lot of times. It feels like a drought stricken, sun-baked wilderness. Then, suddenly, God invades our lives with his grace.Joy is not an escape from sorrow. It is not a fleeting emotion. Joy doesn’t exclude weeping. Rather, joy is the deep-seated knowledge that God is in control and that God is good. If you get down, resist the temptation to try to manufacture joy. Instead, take some time to discover God.

Scripture References: Psalms 126:1-6, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:4, Romans 15:13

Related Topics: journey, journey toward God, joy, joyful in trial, Rescue, restoration | More Messages from Dr. Jim Mann | Download Audio

From Series: "On the Road"

The Bible begins with a journey. “By faith Abraham…set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tent…he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8–10, CSB) Abraham never found the place for which his heart longed and his soul yearned while he was alive. Life is a journey. Each oasis we find in the desert ultimately fails to satisfy. We live in tents…but the city we desire remains just out of reach. We’ll going to look at the Psalms in order to investigate what we need to reach that city.