Lord, Let Every Small Joy Remind Me You Are Near.

Wednesday, 15 April 2026Psalm 118:24

Illustration

Lord, let every small joy remind me You are near.

Scripture

Psalm 118:24·WEB Translation

This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!

Devotional

The Joys You Nearly Missed

Theodore turns four next week. Four. I genuinely don't know where it went.

I remember those early months very well. The broken sleep, the exhaustion that sits behind your eyes and never quite leaves. And I remember thinking, constantly, "Things will get better when he sleeps through the night." That was the finish line. If I could just get there, everything would be easier.

Then he started sleeping through, and the finish line moved. "Things will be better when he can talk and doesn't just scream at me." Then it moved again. "Things will be better when he's potty trained."

Always looking ahead. Always waiting for the next version of life to arrive, the one where things finally feel settled.

But settled never comes, does it? There's always a next thing.

Maybe for you, it's not young kids. Maybe it's "Things will be better when I retire." Or "when my health improves." Or "when this season of caregiving is over." The words change, but the trap is the same. We place our hope in the next chapter and forget to live the one we're in.

The cruel irony is that the very stages I wish away are the ones I know I'll eventually miss.

One day, my living room floor won't be covered in toys. I won't have to spend 45 minutes cleaning up food from every surface after dinner. My car journeys won't be full of "why" questions. I'll miss these moments terribly and be so frustrated with myself for wishing them away.

That doesn't make them any easier, mind. I'm still always on the edge of exhaustion.

But "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Not tomorrow. Not the next season. Not the version of life you're waiting for. This day. This one. The one you're tempted to rush through on the way to something better.

The small joys are everywhere if you stop long enough to notice them. A phone call from a friend. Sunlight through the kitchen window. A grandchild's laughter. A quiet cup of coffee before the world gets loud. These are not filler moments between the important ones. These are the important ones. And every single one of them is God saying, "I'm here. Right here. In this."

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Prayer

Lord, let every small joy remind me You are near, using the simple pleasures of my day as whispers of Your presence, turning ordinary moments into awareness of You.

I forget You're near so easily, letting busyness and worry crowd out awareness of Your closeness, missing the evidence You leave throughout my day that You're right here.

Teach me to connect small joys with Your nearness, to see them not as random pleasant moments but as intentional reminders from You that I'm not alone, You're close.

A small joy, a moment of laughter, unexpected beauty, a warm cup of coffee, someone's smile, these aren't just nice things but You tapping my shoulder, saying "I'm here."

Help me train my heart to respond to small joys by thinking of You, to let pleasure point me toward Your presence, to use happiness as a trigger for remembering You're near.

Remind me that You're in the small things as much as the big things, that nearness isn't only felt in dramatic moments but in the gentle, ordinary joys You scatter through my day.

Give me a heart that turns naturally toward You when joy comes, even small joy, recognizing that every good gift is from You and evidence that You're close.

Let every small joy remind me You are near today, creating a rhythm where pleasure leads to awareness, where happiness points to Your presence right beside me.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Journaling Prompts

Q.What season am I currently wishing away or rushing through?
Q.What small joy happened today that I almost didn't notice?
Q.When I look back at a past stage of life, what do I miss most about it?
Q.What would change if I stopped saying "things will be better when..." and started saying "this is good right now"?
Q.Where is God showing up in my ordinary, everyday moments?