"Ask And You Will Receive, And Your Joy Will Be Complete"

John 16:16-24
16"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." 17Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying." 19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Tonight in small group, we discussed the passage in John describing Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. I was challenged to see the verse in a different light than what had been previously taught to me. Through discussion of what joy is and where we seek and find joy, I began to think about joy in the context of my life, and particularly relationships. The more I thought, and the more I wrote about it when I returned home, the more I realized I was missing out on something great and life changing. All of this time, I have been trading the full joy of Christ for the cheap thrills of this world, and the temporary happiness found in my relationship.

I was in a relationship with a great guy for nearly three years. In this relationship, I thought I had all I needed to be happy, to have joy in life and in a marriage. If I was having a bad day, issues with my family, or if I was just worn thin, I had Andrew to call and to cry to. He would comfort me, and I would accept his counsel and be ‘satisfied’. If I was having financial problems or needed something, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer me help, to pay for my school bill or buy me what I needed. When it came to finding love and affection, Andrew was never lacking. I could turn to him to make me smile, to make me feel pretty and loved and cherished.Yet there is pain in my life that Andrew couldn’t begin to understand. There were days when all he could do is sit with me while I mourned for my family. There were financial burdens that even he couldn’t solve with his money. There were times when even after telling me I was beautiful and that he loved me for who I was, I still didn’t feel good about myself. All the while, there was Christ. This Savior who finds joy in me, waiting until I found mine in Him. He knows my pain, my financial burdens, and He died for me… What more could I possibly ask for? Why is it that I am so prone to searching elsewhere, anywhere, for joy outside of Him, the ultimate giver of joy? Why is it that I can begin to ascertain this joy, but can’t seem to obtain it? My sinful heart would rather have control and immediate gratification than to patiently sit at the feet of Jesus and just enjoy Him. When Jesus turned water into wine at Cana, he was doing more than just saving the skin of the host. He was introducing the people in Galilee to a taste of something far greater. I long to say with the Psalmist,

Psalm 63:1-8
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,beholding your power and glory.
3Because your steadfast love is better than life,my lips will praise you.
4So I will bless you as long as I live;in your name I will lift up my hands.
5My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6when I remember you upon my bed,and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7for you have been my help,and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8My soul clings to you;your right hand upholds me.

I want God to be most glorified in me because I am most satisfied in Him.
I want to cry out with David Crowder, “You are my joy!” and mean it and express it with a lifestyle of contentedness in Christ…
If Romeo never comes around and I am a single woman for the rest of my life, I want to go to bed every night knowing that I don’t need the love of any man as long as I have Christ.
If the money doesn’t come through and I pack my bags and leave Moody, I want to savor the presence of my Savior even if it isn’t in Houghton Hall.
If my dreams for myself don’t pan out, I want to rest assured knowing that I can have joy in the dreams He has for me.

He is all that I need, and I will learn to believe it, and live my life with a full joy that can never be taken away. “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”