Finding Joy In Troubled Times

When I think about joy during the COVID-19 period, I remember how difficult it was to find. Everything felt dark and uncertain. We were separated from family members we loved and worried about people we could not connect with in the ways we normally would. Beneath all our daily concerns was one frightening question: Would our family members make it through this?

Joy did not come easily during that season. There were so many unknowns. We did not know how long the pandemic would last, when we would be together again, or what the next phone call might bring. Even when I tried to remain hopeful, concern for the people I loved was always present.

Yet it was during that troubled time that I had to search for joy in a deeper place. I found myself studying God’s Word and holding tightly to its promises. Scripture reminded me that no matter what was happening around us, God had not changed. His Word became a place of comfort when the world no longer felt safe or familiar.

I began to understand that joy is not always laughter or celebration. Sometimes joy is opening the Bible with a heavy heart and finding a promise strong enough to carry you through the day. Sometimes it is reading that God is near and choosing to believe it, even when the people you love feel far away.

Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord alway.” He was not writing from a comfortable or carefree place. Paul understood suffering, separation, and uncertainty. Yet he did not tell the believers to rejoice because their circumstances were good. He told them to rejoice in the Lord. That distinction matters.

During COVID-19, I could not rejoice in the sickness, the losses, or the separation. But I could find comfort in knowing that God was still present. I could rejoice because His Word was still true. I could remember the times He had carried my family before and trust that He had not abandoned us in this dark season. Joy did not erase my concern. It gave me something stronger to hold beside it.

Paul also says, “The Lord is at hand.” What a comforting reminder that must have been for believers facing hardship. It remains comforting for us today. Even when we cannot be near the people we love, the Lord is near to them and He is near to us.

Perhaps you are walking through a troubled season now. You may be worried about your family, uncertain about the future, or waiting for an answer that has not yet come. Do not pressure yourself to manufacture happiness. Instead, open God’s Word and allow His truth to meet you where you are. Find one promise and carry it through the day. Repeat it when fear rises. Let it remind you that darkness does not mean God has left the room.

Joy is not the absence of trouble. It is the comfort of knowing God is still present and His Word is still true within it. God’s Word gave me comfort, but worry still had to be confronted. Tomorrow, for Pearls Wellness Wednesday, we will consider how prayer helps us release the concerns we were never meant to carry alone.

Pearl's Prayer:

Lord, thank You for being near during dark and uncertain times. When joy feels difficult to find, lead me back to Your Word. Comfort my heart with Your promises and remind me that You are present with every person I love. Help me find joy, not in the trouble, but in knowing that You remain faithful through it all. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I Am The Vessel, God Is The Grace