Trouble that’s transformed into joy

"Trouble that's transformed into joy." I read this phrase in a devotional recently.  It jumped off the page as I read it.

It doesn't make sense intellectually.  How can anyone find joy in their troubles?

But when God Almighty transforms them, they can turn into joy.  

I have experienced this for myself, albeit after I struggle for a while with it.  I could be smack dab in the middle of a very deep, perplexing, and gone-on-for-far-too-long trouble, but when I turn my attention to Christ, everything calms down.  Maybe not in the circumstance, but inside of me. 

We can't always control our circumstances, can we?  The vacation that goes awry due to an unexpected hurricane.  That parent/teacher conference that catches you by surprise.  A child that you brought up to worship God, but who has chosen another path.

We all have them.  Troubles, that is.  Some loom larger than others.  Some seem insurmountable.  We wish they would just disappear already so we could get on with our lives.

But Christian or not, if we are human, no one lives a trouble-free life.

So what'a a girl to do?

God gave us minds to figure out, plan, and work out some troubles. But some seem more stubborn than others.  And for all of our praying, planning, and petitioning, they still persist.

You are not alone.  And you are not being punished by God.

I believe that some troubles are allowed by, or sent to us from, God in order to reveal another facet of His power and love to us. He certainly did so with Job.

In Job chapter 42, Job tells of his newfound experience and revelation of God before God restores all that he lost.  

Job's troubles were not yet over.  God transformed Job's troubles while they still existed into joy through revelation of Himself to Job in a deeper way.  Job thought he knew God well, and he did.  But apparently not as well as he did until the Lord allowed much trouble in his life.

Now that may be an extreme case, but it happened nonetheless!  That should make us happy to know that if Job's troubles can be transformed into joy, then our smaller-scale troubles can definitely be transformed, too.

We may need to gain a new perspective in order for this to happen, this transforming joy that God wants to give us.  Job's focus shifted upward to God, though his friends spewed very harmful words at him as to why his troubles were happening.  

And our focus is shift-able, too!

So next time (now?) you are in the thick of it, with troubles galore, or even only one, please turn your eyes toward Jesus - read His Word, pray, cry out to Him - and let Him transform your troubles into His joy.

He can and will do it for you!