March 13: Insight Post by Michael Thayer
Friday Insight Post
by Michael Thayer
After an unusually cold, snowy winter here in Northern Virginia, the recent warm and sunny days have been a blessing. I look forward to more.
This past weekend, I was fortunate to get outdoors and spend time in nature with my son and his girlfriend. I am always amazed by the beauty and diversity of God’s incredible design, especially as spring begins to do its thing. Surrounded by just budding trees, turtles basking in the sun on logs after the deep freeze of the past two months, a graceful heron in flight, and the trickle of water as the once frozen creek flowed beneath my boat—and seeing the happiness on the faces of my son and his girlfriend—I felt a sense of joy in that moment. During the pandemic, the last time I was regularly out on the lake in my kayak, I recall that same feeling of joy that helped me keep going in the midst of dark days.
While the joy I describe above is of a different kind than the joy expressed by David in Psalms 16:11, I do not take those moments for granted. There are times in life that are difficult and dark, struggles and concerns that sometimes seem to overwhelm us. After doing some research, I learned that miktams (a term that is included in the subtitle of Psalm chapter 16 in my NIV Study Bible) were psalms written during dark or dangerous times, according to Christianity.com. David likely wrote verse 11 during a difficult time in his life. A strange context in which to write about joy, right? I think that is the point. True and enduring joy is knowing that God has sacrificed His son Jesus Christ for us so that we can have the “pleasures of living with Our Lord” forever, experiencing such joy even (especially) during tough times. During times we feel insecure, we are not called to ignore reality or hide from it. We are invited to rest in the assurance that God has promised us eternity with Him—an eternity filled with His goodness, His glory, and His love. That is true joy.
As we prepare for Easter in remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross, a moment marked by darkness and danger, we also celebrate the light He brings into our world. Through His forgiveness of our sins and the promise of salvation for all who accept Him and follow Him, we can experience the true joy of reconciliation and a life forever with Our Lord.
By remembering and meditating on this wonderful gift, during good times and bad, we can invite and experience more joy and encouragement in our worship and daily walk with God.
Michael Thayer
Leadership Team Member
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org