A Full Joy (John 16:24)

 

Monday, June 2, 2025

Psalm 77

Deuteronomy 1:46-2:19

John 16:12-24

A Full Joy (John 16:24)

[Jesus said] “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

If you are the type who patronises fast-food joints, you may be accustomed to the idea that the food can come out in under five minutes. That seems to be the general rule of thumb across most chains. However, at a place I once worked at, the type of food we were serving meant that the food took just a little bit longer – under ten minutes, instead of under five. And so the owners had big signs everywhere telling customers that, while the extra wait may seem painful, the memory of the food will last longer.

It was a great marketing strategy. Because isn’t that exactly how our human nature works? While we are waiting for something, the wait is all we can think about – it overtakes every other thought. And then, when we finally do get what we have been waiting so long for, the relief is almost like the relief of a woman who has just given birth (and if that comparison seems presumptuous, just re-read today’s passage from John).

God our Father is directing our lives in his loving providence. Jesus assured his disciples over and over again that our Father gives all good things needed by his people. But in his infinite wisdom, God doesn’t snap his fingers and magically make blessings appear suddenly. He works them through our lives, like threads through a piece of fabric, so that we experience everything life has to offer, yet with that assurance that God is still with us.

When we do get what we want – and it might not match the specifics of our initial desire, but yet will fulfil those desires completely – the memory of the wait vanishes. When we receive from our Father what we have asked in Jesus’ name, our joy is then full. God has answered our prayers. God has blessed us. We know for certain we walk in the light of his glorious countenance. Our joy is complete.

What was the last thing you had to wait for? What was it like for the wait to be over? What are you currently waiting for? Could you ask the Father for it in Jesus’ name (that is, according to the will of God)?

God of joy, who with a generous and open hand gives all good things to us, your people: grant us the grace to wait patiently for your gifts, that we may rejoice in your giving according to the time you have set.