A Trade for some Joy!

I thought I would share with all of you in blogland what the Lord spoke to me this morning in my prayer time with Him.

I got out of bed this morning while my whole house was sleeping and climbed the stairs to go up to meet with my Lord (I like to think I am climbing up to the mountain of the Lord, like in the scriptures). I had my quiet time, reading my Bible and my new devotion book I am working through; then changed into my outside clothes to go for a power walk with the Lord.

I like to walk and pray, and I like to be outside when I do. I am not distracted by things around the house, and I feel closer to the Lord when I can look up into the immense sky. Anyway, I was walking and praying, at times just not saying anything to the Lord, but listening in case He wanted to speak to me. I walked past a young boy and girl waiting for the school bus, told them "Good Morning," said a short prayer for them silently, and just kept on walking. Well, then I hear the boy start to sing, and at first I did not recognize the song, but then I did. Then they both started to sing, and to sing rather loudly. They were singing "I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my sickness, I'm trading my pain, I'm trading it all for the joy of the Lord, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, yes, Lord, Amen" and on they kept singing.

And it was then that I felt the Lord was speaking to me, He asked me what did I need to trade for the joy of the Lord? And I answered. I told my Lord that the frustrations, the irritations, the stresses that come my way on a daily basis are what I want to trade for the joy of the Lord. So I am determined that when I feel that frustration begin to creep in, that irritability start to rise up, and that stress start to overtake me, I am going to say "Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord, Yes Yes Lord - I will trade all of that for the joy of the Lord!!"

So what about you? What do you need to trade for the joy of the Lord?