Mosaic (March 6)
- Amber Thiessen
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)
I’ve always thought of myself as a happy person, enjoying time with friends, sports, and learning. At work, a psychiatrist or two has even commented cheekily that I’m too cheerful to be working in mental health. So far, I have gratefully avoided the jaded nurse persona.
And yet I know my inner life ebbs and flows. I resonate deeply with weariness, with Elijah’s despair in the cave, with Jeremiah’s laments. It is not constant melancholy, but a vast web of emotion that sometimes struggles to see the light.
After walking through some difficult seasons over the years, I grew hungry for true joy. Not superficial happiness, but a deep, settled joy I had tasted before and knew was mine in Christ.
Psalm 16 was likely written during a time when David faced danger or opposition. Even so, the psalm overflows with comfort and assurance in the Lord. David rejoices in God’s presence and hope, even in a dire moment.
“You make known to me the path of life.”
“In your presence there is fullness of joy.”
“At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Joy is rooted in nearness to God.
During seasons of difficulty, our lives can feel upended. We hesitate to make decisions. We feel uncertain about the future. We may feel alone or discouraged.
Especially in the waiting.
Waiting for answers.
Waiting for clarity.
Waiting for relief.
I think of long winter days in a hospital room on the fifth floor, watching traffic pass below, noticing the funeral home across the street, remembering how close we had come to that end.
With thoughts spiraling and the future uncertain, I could only take one step at a time. Waking beside my sleeping baby girl. Stepping out for a shower and breakfast. Grabbing a coffee. Returning to her room, unsure what the day would hold as the medical team came for rounds.
Even as my emotions rose and fell, truth slowly moved from head to heart. I clung to the goodness of how God had revealed himself to me each day and to the faithfulness he had shown over the years. We saw evidence of his providence in answered prayers, in tangible gifts of love and care, in the comfort of being upheld in prayer by the Church.
I began to see that joy is not merely a feeling. It is a reorientation of the heart. Joy is an awareness of God’s grace and favour. As I recount the ways his providential care has surfaced in my life, joy begins to rise.
Nine years later, life looks very different. Yet God continues to make himself known. In opening his Word before the sun rises. In relationships that sharpen and strengthen me. In a steady peace even in grief.
As we hear his Word and seek him in prayer, we grow in communion with the living God. And this is where abundant joy flourishes. In savoring the reality of his nearness.
“The treasures of a saint are the presence of God, the favor of God, union and communion with God, the pardon of sin, the joy of the Spirit, and the peace of conscience. These are jewels which none can give but Christ, nor none can take away but Christ.” — Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices
The search for joy begins with God. With his saving work from the beginning of time and his ongoing presence with us as he acts in our lives for his glory.
How does this change your own search for joy?
📝 In Writing
📚 On My Shelf
Still learning from this commentary on 1 & 2 Kings for our ladies bible study. We’re shifting to the life of Elisha now.
I’m reading through my friend Cara’s book The Pursuit of Holy Leisure and am growing in my understanding of our union in Christ.
For this month’s curriculum focus on joy, I started Delighting in the Trinity by Micheal Reeves and Seeing and Savouring Jesus Christ by John Piper
In fiction, I read Ambush of the Heart by Mary Connealy, a western historical fiction
🗞️ In Articles
Well, you gotta take a look at this one for a check-in on your marriage, as Johnathon responds to and invites us to respond and repent.
I appreciate the nod to the movie, The Princess Bride as well as Cindy's encouragement to look to our union in Christ and His resurrection for confidence amidst spiritual battle.
This article from last year was shared in her newsletter and I found it timely for the moment I'm in. "Time in the Word is an invitation into friendship with God. The Bible is a book about God, filled with story after story of his faithfulness to love, guide, and engage with all kinds of people. It’s the primary way God reveals himself to us. Engaging with God while you read the Scriptures is an invitation for him to turn his face toward you and for you to give your full attention to him."
When I'm sitting with anxious clients, there's a lot of unpacking to be done around our thoughtlife, particularly the ways we "what-if". We can easily justify it as "I"m just an anxious person" until that anxiety grows and becomes unmanageable. Not to mention that Scripture teaches us to both be wise in planning for the future, yet not worry over it. Here's a helpful article to help us reorient our thinking.
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