What does it mean to joyfully walk with God?
As I get older, I begin to appreciate the stillness and quietness found in having a simple life. I walk to work every day, and I see people rushing and hurrying in the busy streets of this business district where I live. Some are happily talking with their colleagues while waiting for a bus. Others are walking alone with a preoccupied mind (you can sense it on their face). Many are so focused on their path that they tend not to mind anything around. They are driven for the day’s affairs. I remember my life before. I was once like one of these people. Hurried. Preoccupied. Restless.
As I look back, many things make me feel joyful today as compared to the life I had back then. I was surrounded by people. Yet I felt alone. I was living a good life. Yet I was discontented and unhappy. Those fancy things around me seemed like entertainment for a time. But it was not for real.
Not until God woke me up from my slumbering. In an event as fast as the wind, my life was turned upside down.
Now I feel it in my heart the very words of King David in Psalm 16 and penned it this way:
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
It’s amazing how Jesus alone can satisfy our longing souls. I like what author Leslie Ludy says, that when she is walking closely with the Lord, the opinion of the world does not matter anymore. Indeed, it is true. When we are already lost in the vastness of God’s love and grace, we will forget the fake enticement of the world. We will start to function in the spiritual realm with Jesus. There is this supernatural occurring inside of our soul that not so many (even none) understand. They might think that we are fools. They might say that we are out of this world. But it’s okay. They might have not experienced the joy and peace and stillness to be walking with the Lord.
In God’s presence, there is fullness of joy. This is what King David had experienced in his life. Being a king and a mighty warrior, we may think that he got it all. Power. Fame. Wealth. Success as a mighty warrior. Yet he found himself delighting not in the things of the world but the presence of His beautiful Creator. He even added that in His right hand are pleasures forevermore. He is the source of his joy and gratification. He also mentioned that in Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” We too can experience this joy and satisfaction if we learn to submit and walk with Him as we journey in life. My decision to walk with Him led me to discover more of Him:
He is my Father. (1 John 3:1)
He is my best friend. (John 15:15)
He is my refuge. (Psalm 59:16)
He is my healer. (Psalm 147:3)
He is my comforter. (John 14:16)
He is my peace. (Romans 14:17)
He is my shield. (Psalm 3:3)
He is my deliverer. (Psalm 144:2)
He is my salvation. (Psalm 13:5)
He is my life. (John 14:6)
The list goes on and on. There’s so much more of Him that I need to discover as days pass by.
The joy of walking with Him is that we never feel alone in this life. He is always here to cheer us up in times of trouble. He is always here to celebrate our joys and successes.
Walking with Him closely brings peace amidst the chaos. Like the sea after a storm, it leaves our hearts still and unmoveable.
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