Counting All as JoySample

Even this, Lord?

I feel so much pressure when I read this verse. Count it ALL joy, Lord? Every trial? Every testing? Even when I lose someone I love? Or when I’m deeply wounded or anxious or flailing about in life? Even in those moments, Lord?

And yet, I know the answer, because I’ve lived it. And perhaps you have too.

Counting it all joy, when we fall into various trials, isn’t necessarily about counting the circumstances as joy. It’s about the moment we realise that if God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

It’s the "peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" that wraps us up and guards our "hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 NKJV).

The deeper the pain, the warmer the comfort.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us there are seasons for everything. And when the seasons are painful, we can be grateful for our Father who shows up, knowing exactly what we need, taking us deeper into relationship with Him. That’s what we can count as joy.

Written by JONI BOYD