“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the deeds of Your hands I joyfully sing” (Ps. 92:4).
Some years ago I finally found the doorway to happiness. It is found in the presence of God. I used to be happy if God was doing something that made me glad. But I didn’t know how to be glad because of Him. I knew how to seek His hand, but I didn’t really know how to seek His face.
Don’t think you are going to be glad when God does the next thing for you that you want Him to do. As soon as He does, there is going to be something else you are going to want that you think you can’t be glad until you get. Don’t spend all your life waiting until some other time to be happy.
One day after I had received this breakthrough, I was going to a meeting, and I was singing the once popular spiritual song, “You Have Made Me Glad.” It was then that the Holy Ghost spoke to me and said, “For the first time, you’re singing that song right.”
Because God hears our hearts more than our words, that song sounded different to Him. Before, what He heard was, “The things You have done for me have made me glad; the things You have done for me have made me glad; I will rejoice for all the things You have done for me have made me glad.”
When the Lord was doing what I wanted Him to do for me, I was glad, but when He wasn’t doing what I wanted Him to do for me, I was not glad. So I lived an “up-and-down” life. It was like riding a roller coaster. I was getting worn out from going up and down all the time. If my circumstances suited me, I was up, and if they didn’t, I was down. If we are live in the fullness of joy, we must find something to be glad about besides our circumstances.
Even if every one of our circumstances suits us, we will eventually find that the world is full of people who don’t suit us. As soon as we shape up the ones who don’t suit us, still others will come along who don’t suit us. It is an unending cycle.
In our ministry, we have a large number of people on our staff. Even though they are some of the most wonderful people I have ever met, there are times when they don’t all make me glad.
Even being around Christian people will not make us glad all the time. The only one who can make us glad all the time, every time, is Jesus – and even He cannot do that for us unless we allow Him to do so.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
Joyce hosts a TV and radio show, Enjoying Everyday Life, which broadcasts worldwide to a potential audience of 4.5 billion people. She has authored 100 books, which have been translated into more than 100 languages. More than 12 million of her books have been distributed free of charge around the world, and each year millions of copies are sold.
Joyce conducts close to a dozen domestic and international conferences every year, teaching people to enjoy their everyday lives. For 30 years, her annual women's conference has attracted more than 200,000 women from all over the world to St. Louis for specifically themed teachings by her and guest speakers.
Through her teachings, God has provided opportunities to meet the needs of the suffering and bring the Gospel in a practical way. Joyce's passion to help hurting people every day is foundational to the vision of Hand of Hope, the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. These outreaches around the globe include feeding programs, medical care, homes for orphans, and programs combatting human trafficking. In her hometown of St. Louis, Joyce and Dave, her husband, founded the St. Louis Dream Center (SLDC) in 2000. The SLDC serves the inner city through hands-on programs targeted at reaching the lost and hurting with the love of Christ.
Over the years, God has provided Joyce with many opportunities to share her testimony and the life-changing message of the Gospel. Having suffered sexual abuse throughout her childhood, as well as just dealing with the struggles of everyday life, Joyce discovered the freedom to live victoriously by applying God's Word to her life and in turn desires to help others do the same.
Joyce is and continues to be an incredible testimony of the dynamic, redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
