Rich in Joy
Friday (October 3)
Rich in Joy
Psalm 4:7
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
My wife recently shared this inspiring quote with me from Elisabeth Elliot: “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” And from what I’ve discovered on various mission trips to poorer regions of the world, poorer Christians in difficult circumstances tend to have a better grasp on this profound truth.
I had the privilege of joining a short-term mission’s trip to a tiny island in Costa Rica, where we held an evangelistic soccer tournament with neighboring islands and also helped build a sidewalk for the small church on the island. The island had a population of just under 1,000 people at the time, with mango trees everywhere, and howler monkeys jumping around, and stray dogs cowering in the streets; and the houses were poor huts, more like pavilions almost, because many didn’t even have exterior walls. We stayed in the home of an elderly pastor and his wife who didn’t speak any English but told us through an interpreter a bit of their story. The pastor said that forty years ago, his family lived on the adjacent island two miles away, but God began to burden his heart for the people here, so he’d leave his canoe with his wife and baby on Sunday mornings and swim the two miles across the water to lead a church service. Eventually, God led them to move from their home, so they loaded up their canoe and made the trek, though a sudden storm swept in, badly injuring the woman, and nearly taking her life. Clearly, the devil didn’t want them here! But God was faithful, and so were these missionaries, and, for forty years, they’ve been serving the LORD under these mango trees and making disciples, living off a fisherman’s wages, and full of vigor in their missional work.
We took part in leading the church service that coming Sunday, and I’ll never forget the joy that emanated from the little church house. Even without instruments and sound systems and skilled musicians, the people sang with all their hearts and listened intently to every word we preached. They were a living demonstration of Psalm 4:7, of joy in the LORD even in poverty, and I’ll never forget it.
May we, too, be rich where it matters most today.