When I was in my thirties I attended several weeks of a Bible study on the Holy Spirit. As the study was nearing it’s end, one of our instructors told us to go home and seriously think all week about what we would desire most from the Lord if we could ask Him for one thing in our life. We were told not to discuss this with our spouse, children, or any other person but just to pray and really commune and ask God for this desire of our heart. We were told that on the last night of the study we would be called up to the altar individually and could kneel and pray silently about this request. No one but God was to hear or know our request.

On the last night of the study as I was called up to pray silently about my request one of the instructors came over and knelt beside of me and said, “Anna, I have a word from God for you”….he continued on and this is what he said…..” The Lord says that you have joy but that it is your own joy, he wants you to release your joy and let His Joy come in.”

I was so dumbfounded because the request that I had prayed about all week was for God to give me a constant JOY in that no matter what came my way I could face it. Up until this point in my life, my spiritual life and my emotions were like a roller coaster ride. I had extreme highs and desperate lows. I was a worry wart and a person that fretted over the smallest problems. I actually hated that about myself and that is why I asked God to change me. So you can easily now see why the WORD from God had blown me away.

I rushed home that night and had to tell my husband and even had him ride back down to the church with me to talk to the two instructors but they were already gone and everything was locked up.

I believed these two men to be real huge servants of God and I was excited and amazed and could not wait to see how God was going to change me!

Over a span of probably two years after this I had nothing but tragedy, heartache, and hurt in my life. It was not your usual things but horrendous things like: Our first granddaughter died from SIDS at less than two months, the father of this granddaughter was stationed in Korea with the army and saw his daughter for the first time laying in her casket, this same son two weeks later was crossing a train track with a friend and was hit by a train…..our son lived but his passenger died, the list goes on and on but some things are so hurtful that I cannot even write about them.

I had prayed for JOY and got nothing but sadness, hurt, and heartache. I did not know what was happening in my life. We were labeled as the bad luck family and it was so many things that if it had not been true it would seem almost comical. It was ridiculous!

Our pastor and his wife one night felt so sorry for my husband and I that they wanted to take us out to eat to console us and show us how much they cared. They picked us up at our home during a horrible rain storm and their windshield wipers broke on the way to the restaurant. We all four had a laugh about it but in my heart it was not really funny.

Looking back now after all of these years I know that God was working a huge work in me and my heart. The prayer that I had prayed so many years ago was happening in me. Even though I received all hurts, God was the lily in all of my valleys and was with me through it all.

I love the song, ‘Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus, because of the part that says I have proved him o’er and o’er. I really have proved Him so many times and by that proof I can honestly say that my prayer of a constant JOY was answered.

My God is amazing and a keeper of His word! I feel very honored and privileged now to have gone through the hard things because I feel that when bad things happen to you it places you on the center stage of life and all eyes are upon you. Tragedy gives you a chance to shine for God and show His glory if you so choose. Rather than whine in your troubles you can shine for Jesus!

Choose to find the JOY in the journey and you will never regret it I promise!