In the Word: Our Present Joy

Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals.  If you are joining us for the first time today, make sure you don’t miss the first posts in this series here.  Over several weeks, we are looking at 1 Peter 1:1-9 verse by verse.  As we study this passage together, we’d love you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you dig into God’s Word each week along with us! 

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,”
1 Peter 1:8

READ:

After we lose our babies, we talk about, write about, and focus much on heaven. And that is good. We ought to do so. There is a brilliant future ahead and that informs how we live on this earth, and it is well worth considering often.

Yet, even while we do not see Him—even before our faith is made sight—there is much joy to experience now. Your longing for heaven can have the great fruit of making you joy-filled today. When anchor our joy on the glorious future that awaits us rather than our present circumstances, it will always be great. Read this verse again. It is not speaking about a future experience, but a present one.

Because we know that we are glorifying, honoring, and exalting Christ in our faithfulness after experiencing indescribable sorrow, and because we love and believe in Him, we presently have this joy that is already inexpressible and glorious. With this, we are filled.

REFLECT:

• Describe a time that you have been filled with the inexpressible joy of the Lord.

• Read Revelation 21:1-5 and Revelation 22:1-5. Make a list of the things we can learn about heaven from these passages.

• How does this picture of eternity strengthen you amidst the sorrow you are carrying?

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