Joy Comes from Depending on God’s Presence

In God’s presence, we can rest. We can find refuge and shelter in His love for us.

The way to bear fruit, the way to have joy, the way to live a life of abundance is to stay connected and dependent on the Vine.

As we live this way, our roots grow deeper. The more you walk with Jesus, the more you see Him provide time and time again. The longer you live on this earth, the more you realize that you can do nothing without Him. The farther you travel on this earth, the more you can recognize His faithfulness to you over and over. These repetitions of dependence and faith send your roots deeper and you trust in Him more.

I know that this has been true in my life. The deepest lessons I’ve learned about God have come from the seasons of the deepest suffering. And I’ve seen it in others too. We learn that as we depend on Him, He is faithful and can be trusted. If He is with us, that’s all we need.

We see this with our children. When they are sick or scared, they just want to be near Mommy or Daddy. They’ll often say something like, “I just know that if I’m near you, everything is okay.” And isn’t that how we should be with our Heavenly Father too? Just to be near Him, we know that everything will be alright.

Overflowing joy is a joy that is so contagious that it spills over and cannot be contained. And the only way to have this type of joy is to depend on His presence and send your roots deep. Trust in His Fatherly care for you and rest as His child, knowing that “apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) And expect that the deeper the dependence goes, the fuller the joy.