“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
How Can I Have That?
I think maybe one of the reasons I can tend to doubt these sorts of promises, is because I just don’t always feel it & maybe sometimes I really don’t even understand what it means.
We know we have God’s presence with us always, as He promises “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 31:8) So, combining this verse & that, we should always be experiencing this “fullness of joy,” correct? Well, sort of….
I am for sure wearing out this point/topic, but here we go again… chances are, we’re probably missing a VERY key point… abiding in Him.
The POTENTIAL for this “fullness of joy” is for sure always there, but to access it… to experience it… to benefit from it… we need to be spending time IN His PRESENCE.
How to Make Really Hard Decisions When Either Answer Feels Wrong
Similarly, I had an experience a few months ago where I was feeling super over-encumbered by my to-do list. Lots of plans/activities going on, trying to plan for a big trip, coordinating details, booking tickets, making reservations… all ON TOP OF my regular schedule of work & various ministries I participate in… & then I got asked to come in to work to help with something outside of my normal schedule… & they were desperate for help.
Now, this is an especially sticky, hard situation for me, honestly… I knew how busy I already was, but then I felt like I’d be the “bad guy” if I said “no,” because I knew they really needed me.
And the help they asked for was over TWO days, not just one.
Oh, cue the inner turmoil between “I don’t want to look like I don’t care,” & “but I am already way in over my head!” “What do I DO!?!?”
I kept praying about it throughout the morning & emailed back saying as such, to give me time to look over my schedule. I desperately wanted to just say no, but I really didn’t want to leave them hanging in their need.
When the Answer Still Didn’t Come… No Peace Either Way… What Do I Do??
And the answer wasn’t coming. I kept praying. Still nothing. No certainty. No fog lifted to reveal an answer to my dilemma of which I felt absolute peace. No reassurance to turn it down. None to take it & add more to my already busy plate. Just nothing. And I KEPT PRAYING… getting a little more worried with each passing hour before I needed to make a final decision, feeling the pressure increasing.
So, I started praying to that effect, “God, You know I have a deadline… that I need to make a decision… You are the only One Who knows whether I can feasibly accommodate it or whether I would sacrifice my necessary trip preparation responsibilities to do so. PLEASE help me.… Why aren’t You answering me? Why can’t I find peace either way? What should I do?”
Then God Answered… Not My Question… But Where I Needed to Find My Answer
Then it came… this urgency that I needed to STOP my busyness. I needed to STOP scuttering around. I needed to STOP & sit with Him for a minute so I could more clearly hear from Him.
I needed to stop treating Him like my secretary, tossing out a request & carrying on with my tasks while I await His getting back with me. I needed time to just BE in His presence so I could more clearly sense His leading.
So, I did that. I stopped working on my list. I stopped my scuttering around the house. And I went in my room & I knelt down & said, “Ok, God, I hear You. I’m sorry for not taking a minute with You about this, expecting You to answer on MY schedule. Please help me know what to do. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.” And I just STAYED there in silence & awaited in His presence until I could clearly tell what He was trying to tell me.
And you know what happened? All of a sudden, things came into focus & I knew what I needed to do… that I could replace some unnecessary regular plans with instead working some extra hours so that I didn’t need to compromise my responsibilities & I could help them as well. Like a solution that came to mind clear as day. A solution that traded versus added. A solution that hadn’t occurred to me before then. God gave me the wisdom I requested in that still quietness in His presence.
In His Presence… That’s the Key…
I think this “fullness of joy” that He promises us is in the same vein as this. We need to allow ourselves to just BE in His presence.
It is realized when we STOP. When we decide to put aside all else & just take time to be in His presence… to talk to Him like our best friend Who cares about ever single little mundane detail of our lives like nobody else ever could.
It is when we determine to JUST BE with Him… nothing else in that moment… just you & Him.
It refills your cup somehow. It satisfies something in your soul you didn’t realize could be filled or satisfied… those little “that’s just how life feels… stressful & rushed,” that it doesn’t need to feel that way.
Extra time, but time that seems to fill you up.
Extra effort, but effort that seems to settle everything else.
Abiding in Him is an EXTRA in life… but it’s an extra that repays more than you could ever spend.
He sustains. He nurtures. He listens. He cares. He satisfies. He fills. He strengthens. He encourages. He emboldens….
HE IS where we meet fullness of joy.
“IN His Presence Is Fullness of Joy”
So, if you’re not feeling it… this “fullness of joy” mentioned in Psalm 16… are you taking time to BE in His presence? Or are you just flippantly tossing a prayer His way, thinking that ought to be enough?
Not a genie. A Friend. A God Who made you & loves you more than anything… He gave His Son, Jesus, to pay your sin debt to Him. He LOVES you. He CARES about you. He wants you to be in His presence. He wants to fill you with joy even in the midst of the worst of circumstances.
I have seen it. I have experienced it. I have felt it. And I still sometimes forget I need to set aside time for it.
Easily distracted… easily convinced it’s all up to me & I’m too busy… but I NEED it. I NEED Him.
You need Him, too.
Shine HOPE by spending time with Him, abiding in Him, gleaning from Him, turning to Him… being in His presence.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***
***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***
Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:
(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 24) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @6pm EST/Wednesdays @8am GUAM*) OR come back here to watch it once it has been uploaded!)
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for EIGHT years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
June 2026 “Hope Mail” (Handcrafted & Supporting Women in GUATEMALA)
FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of June! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!
Your purchase of June Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty.
June hope mail includes the Antigua Horizons Pouch, perfect for carrying summer essentials! Each handmade pouch features genuine leather and upcycled traditional fabrics to create a beautiful and functional zippered pouch.
Every purchase of this month’s Hope Mail creates safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in Guatemala and allows mothers to send their children to school.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
