Today, I want to encourage you to continue forward on your journey to joy. Don't allow weariness or unexpected opposition to detour you through the dangerous desert of doubt, despair and defeat, or you may never get back on track! I believe you can stay right on course by writing down the vision that the Lord has revealed to you, just as He instructed Habakkuk to do. While reading the opening verses of Habakkuk's three-chapter book, one almost gets the sense that she is eavesdropping on the earnest, private prayers of a true saint who is wrestling with God's unfathomable ways.

He begins with familiar questions such as "How long must I cry for help?" and "Why do You tolerate wrong?". But instead of God being rushed to prove Himself to Habakkuk, the people of Judah, or their enemies, God takes the time to answer the prophet's complaints and gives him these instructions (Habakkuk 2:2-3 ESV): “Write the vision make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time it hastens to the end—it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it it will surely come it will not delay. My paraphrase: Mark my words, write it down because what you're going through is coming to an end sooner than you think - and until then, don't keep it to yourself. You must share the vision of joy, so that others can keep going on their journey, too! The book of Habakkuk does not have a fairytale ending. As it comes to a close, we read that there are no figs on the trees, there are no grapes on the vines, there are no sheep in the pens, nor are there cattle in the stalls. In short, Habakkuk and his people have nothing. Yet, he holds on to the vision of God's love and sovereign plan for the righteous, and by faith, Habakkuk chooses to be joyful along the journey.

It is my prayer for you, that you will ask God to give you a fresh vision and the strength to complete your journey to joy. In spite of the rough terrain you may have already traversed, I pray you will journal each step of faith, without a single detour to despondency, and echo Habakkuk in saying, "yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:18).

As you get ready to start a new day, I pray you will ask God to clothe you with joy. Joy is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s deep work in our lives and it gives us the strength to fulfill our calling (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is only second to love in the list of the nine fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and it is available to those who have first been clothed with the garments of salvation and robes of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).

When we go through difficult seasons in life, it may seem that things will never change – like a cold winter that never ends. But sickness and sorrow do not have to be the new norm. Sackcloth does not have to be your outfit today. David said, “You turned my wailing into dancing you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever” (Psalm 30:11-12). This is what our God does. This is what He is famous for. He turns things around! What the enemy meant for evil in Joseph’s life, God turned it for good (Genesis 50:20). When King Jehoshaphat’s enemies came against him, God confused them and they turned on each other until they were entirely wiped out (2 Chronicles 20:24)! When the earth was formless, void and dark, God turned it around - and by His spoken Word, light and life came into existence! It is my prayer that God will turn your situation around today! May He clothe you with joy, that you will dance, and sing, and praise Him forever!

While meditating on the account of our Lord’s resurrection, I was deeply touched by a portion of scripture I have read many times before. The women who, very early on the first day of the week, went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with sweet-smelling spices have always had a tender place in my heart. I’ve long admired these faithful followers for their unwavering devotion, but I had never thought twice about their conversation on their way as recorded in Mark 16:3, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

Those words struck me as something quite relevant to women of faith today. Although over 2,000 years have passed, it occurred to me that we, too, face mountains of fear fear that something bigger or stronger would obstruct us from reaching the One we love. But fear of the unknown didn’t stop them! And when they arrived at the tomb, they saw with their own eyes that no stone, no matter how large, could separate them from the love of Christ and His resurrection power.

Verse 4 states it best, “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” And then the angel says to the women in verse 6, “Don’t be alarmed, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!” The angel immediately addressed their fear, and their faith was rewarded by being the first to see the empty tomb. It was the women who first encountered the risen Savior. And it was the women who were given the immense honor of sharing the good news with the disciples - because faith triumphed over fear.

I love the way the Matthew depicts the end of this scene in chapter 28, verse 8, “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Maybe they were afraid of what people would think or even if they would believe them. But the women obeyed, though they were afraid, and they were filled with joy!