1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) 

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Happiness is like the breezes that blow through the branches and leaves of the trees in the nearby mountains, but joy is the deepest roots of the oaks and hickories. In the Appalachian mountains, the trails and paths are seldom smooth or flat, leading us up hills and over rocky patches, past waterfalls and around boulders. The presence and nearness of God is felt in every step, no matter how challenging the trail becomes. 

For all of us difficulties can arise more often than we would like. Our lives are a mix of ups and downs. Sometimes we may feel that joy has been completely swept away by loss, or by challenges with health or world events. We might wonder how long it will take for our hearts to be filled again with an abundance of joy and gratitude. But, like the presence of God, joy does surround us. The natural world blooms with it, people smile and hug with it, and music sings with it. God’s constant grace is fully present, and we are able to be uplifted in our most rocky times. We are reminded to deepen the practice of finding joy and hope in any situation, along with feeling thankful. The courage to lean into the bends in the trail comes with this deep strength and the knowing that God walks alongside us. We can expect mountaintop moments and miracles as a part of daily life. 

Praying constantly or without ceasing seems like another challenge. Life can be so filled with work, important tasks, and appointments that formulating a prayer in the midst of these things feels overwhelming. Distractions happen often. We can’t always spend time in nature or in stillness or quietness. But since prayers can be said or thought in a microsecond, like “Help!”, “Thanks”, or “Bless” during our busiest times, they can then be expanded later when time allows. Prayers can even be wordless. They can be said with our eyes open or closed, from our hearts and minds, anywhere and anytime, connecting us to God in that moment. 

With a mindset of deeply rooted joy, we can radiate it out as often as possible with friends, neighbors, strangers, and family, allowing this joy to keep expanding and growing. Happiness is also contagious. We do know that faith can move mountains, but it’s likely that joy can too. 

Prayer: 

Loving God, we offer you our full hearts of gratitude. Help our prayers to become more constant and our joy to radiate out to everyone we meet. 

Amen.

This devotional was written by Jenny Green and read by Sally Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.