Why This Emphasis on JOY?

I had just completed my certification in healing prayer in December 2023 and was on the precipice of launching an inner healing program at my church, as well as my own practice. I felt called into a season of prayer, to hear deliberately from God on which aspect of healing prayer to dial in on as my "niche".

In early January 2024, I participated in an all-day spiritual retreat. One of the activities was to choose one Psalm (from a list of several) and go out into nature where the landscape is much like that described in the Scripture passage. I chose Psalm 16, for no particular reason other than it describes life on "the path", and I love to hike the trails in San Diego. So, I quickly but carefully audio-recorded myself on my phone reading Psalm 16 in three different Bible translations so that I could meditate and pray while on the move. Then, I packed up my anxiety-prone Phoebe and took to the trails nearby.

We had a lovely time... well, mostly! Phoebe happens to be frightened by other dogs and obsessed with tiny creatures, so it was a real challenge staying focused on Psalm 16 while keeping Phoebe peaceful and safe from her own impulses to fight or chase.

We stopped under a huge oak tree to rest. It was under this enormous, gnarled, old oak that God drew my attention to verse 11: You make known to me the path of life; in Your Presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. I sat there in the shade, with Phoebe under my arm, stroking her fur and thinking about all the times I'd felt God's wonderful comfort, a sensation I'd later learned was Joy.

Those were times when I had allowed myself to just let go and cry, and a warmth came over me like a hug. Or when I couldn't stop laughing, and all my concerns dissipated like steam. Or when my blood boiled with anger, and I had the sense that He was near, validating that anger without reprimanding me for it. Sometimes He brought that comforting Joy through a friend, or a mentor, or a family member.

Under that oak, stroking Phoebe, it occurred to me that I had been doing this for her on the trail, whenever we had to pass another dog, or when a rabbit darted in front of us while we hiked. She was calm. She was secure. Happy!

After some time reflecting on that verse, I felt full... satisfied. So, we headed back to the car. That afternoon I shared with the group what God had given me. Then the retreat came to an end. And I finished out the day in peace.

The next day came and went uneventfully. The 3rd day rolled around, and I walked down to the street to get the mail. Inside my mailbox was a little box. I was intrigued... I hadn't ordered anything. Was this put into the wrong box? But it had my name on it, and the return address showed "Dear Heart", which made me even more curious, because I have heard God use that term of endearment before with friends in their Immanuel Journaling.

I brought it into the house and opened it up. Inside was a little bracelet with the word JOY written on three beads. Hanging off was a gold-plated tag with Psalm 16:11 engraved on it. Also inside the box was a suede-like pouch, with the words engraved into it: "In Your Presence is fullness of Joy". Inside that pouch was a little card with the entire verse printed on it. I couldn't believe it!!

Who sent this? I wondered. Right away I began texting pictures of it to my friends... did you send this to me?...."No" was always the answer. So then, I had nowhere else to go with that question. Well, there was one more person to ask... Jesus, did You send this to me?

I sensed His grin, His delight... His exuberance, and with my spiritual eyes, saw... His cheerful face, smiling ear to ear, with a twinkle in His eyes. "Do you like it?  I'm giving you this as a constant reminder: 

I want My children to know how glad I am to be with them... No matter what they've done or how bad they feel about themselves, I want them to look to My face, to KNOW how much I delight in them. I've always known their true heart - one that reflects My own, and I am always working to restore their heart's original design and bring it back to wholeness. I love it when My children come to Me." 

"...but whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

~2 Corinthians 3:16-18

I love to be with My children.
     ~ Immanuel, God with us