And/or

Further up and further in: Psalm 97-99, Isaiah 43:1-3

Verse: 1 Peter 1:8-9 – Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Prayer: Lord God, as I look at my life and learn to view my suffering in the light of your Fatherly care, I am filled with joy because all of this means that you are on the move! It means that you are active and not passive. It means that you are working and not resting. It means that you are on the move to save me. It means, that as each day passes, I am always one day closer to the goal of my faith, my salvation. And – God be praised – I’m still in the faith. You have brought me safely in the faith to this very day. I pray, keep in the faith, keep me a float. Keep the waters from coming over my head. And when they rise, lift up above those waters so that I am not washed away in the flood. Amen.

Joy is a spiritual buoyancy that comes when we are rejoicing in God. The waters are rising but I am not sinking. – Tim Keller.