Joy Juice

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble." (Psalm 91:14-15)

"Oh Lord, please don't let this come back again!"

A couple of weeks ago, an excruciatingly painful neurological condition I have suffered from since 2012, reared its ugly head again. It's called Trigeminal Neuralgia—also sometimes known as "The Suicide Disease." 

I wouldn't wish this condition on my worst enemy.  It seems to come back about every six months. I have not welcomed its return. It feels like someone is stabbing an electrically charged ice pick into my brain. No bueno for sure!

A couple of mornings ago it was at its worst. Simply blinking my eyes caused it to spasm and stab in the left side of my forehead. I got out of bed and went to my spot on the couch in the living room, and I cried out to the Lord. He soon led me to Psalm 91:

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)

I was both comforted and convicted by this amazing promise from my faithful God. 

Comforted, because God loves me, and He is faithful to be the perfect Father I have always desperately needed and wanted. And no matter what, I can always trust in Him.

Convicted, because I have not been intentional about dwelling in the secret place of the Most High—spending intimate time with Him every morning, thanking, praising, and worshiping Him for Who He is.

My average morning, I get up, make the coffee, and sit on the couch trying to wake up slowly, just enjoying the quiet, thinking about life. 

But we all know the old saying; "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." In my idle time, my mind tends to wander and the devil can easily tempt my thoughts with all kinds of sinful temptations and fantasies that I have no business entertaining or thinking about. 

But this is exactly what my early mornings have been filled with off and on over the last few weeks. And I confess that it's because I have not gone right to the Lord when I wake up, calling out to Him, desiring to spend time with Him; desiring to hear His voice, and enjoy His abiding presence.

Trust me, an idle mind can be, and is easily distracted and tempted by the Tempter of our souls.

And I fell prey to him.

Interestingly enough, when my sinful thoughts fell to their lowest and worst, my neurological condition resurfaced in a painful way. 

Coincidence?

I don't believe so.

The Bible says: 

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap." (See Galatians 6:7). 

It's a spiritual law. The principle of sowing and reaping. Some people call it "Karma." Call it what you will. But I'm here to tell you, one way or another, the consequences of our actions will eventually catch up with us.

I don't know how this all works. Whether God directly caused my painful condition to return, or He simply allowed it, is known only to Him.

But the result is, it drew me desperately to Him, and I cried out to Him, seeking Him, repenting of my sin, wanting to be closer to Him. And He met me where I was. He forgave me. And He opened the eyes of my heart and spoke to me through His Word, in the Psalms.

The ending verses of Psalm 91 touched me deeply:

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16)

That morning, when, in my desperation I cried out to the Lord, He heard me and He answered me; giving me grace to set my love upon Him. He granted me repentance—the ability to change my mind and turn from my sin. And even in my pain, the joy of the Lord strengthened me. 

The Lord encouraged me to the point that I actually thanked Him for the painful condition because it drew me back to Him and to His continuously abiding presence. Back to the joy of the Lord.

As I shared all this with my wife when she woke up, she came up with the phrase, "Joy Juice."

“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield.” (See Psalm 91:3-4)

I often forget that the primary way God reveals Himself to us is through His Word—the Bible. And right there in the last part of verse 4, it says, "His truth shall be your shield."

Jesus said,

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth." (John 17:17)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

The Bible is truth. It's God's word. And Jesus is the Truth and the Word.

So, my reason for sharing my story today, is to encourage you who are suffering to draw near to Jesus, by seeking to know Him more through the glorious pages of the Bible.

And it is my hope and prayer that He will heal your cancer, your dying spouse, your lost children, your broken marriage, or your Trigeminal Neuralgia.

But whatever God decides to do, I pray that you will let whatever causes your suffering, to draw you to His side, to set your love upon Him, to cry out to Him, to know Jesus more, and to thank Him and praise Him for what He has already given you; the hope of glory that is found only in our saving faith in Jesus Christ.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16)

Set your heart and mind on the imminent return of Jesus Christ. Be alert, watching for His coming.

Jesus promised us:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14:1-4)

The joy of the Lord is our strength.

"Joy Juice."

Drink it in!

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.