Morning Prayer - Joy that I am Yours

Lord,

As I enter a new day that will bring its own battles, I ask You: remind me that true victory is not found in defeating an enemy, but in the joy of knowing I am Yours.

You sent out the seventy disciples, poor and simple, as lambs among wolves. They had no money, no provisions, yet they carried the richness of Your message. And when they returned, they came back with joy—not because of their personal success, but because Your work was accomplished through them.

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!'” (Luke 10:17)

Lord, what power there is in Your name! When I labor for Your kingdom, I enter into a spiritual battle. I often feel weak and powerless, yet You assure me that the battle is not mine, but Yours. I do not fight in my own strength, but in Yours.

You teach me that the way to resist the enemy is not to focus on him, but to draw closer to You. This is the path to victory.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Thank You for the authority You gave to Your disciples, and through them, also to me. This authority is not for my own glory, but a tool for the expansion of Your kingdom. It is the assurance that the forces of darkness cannot eternally harm me as I walk in Your name, as one of the least among the brethren.

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19)

And yet, Jesus, You immediately point me to something deeper. You invite me to find my greatest joy not in outward victories, even those of a spiritual nature. You call me to a greater joy, one that is eternal and unchangeable.

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

This is it, Lord! The greatest miracle is not the casting out of demons, but the fact that my name is written in the Book of life. This is the grace You have bestowed upon me. It is a joy that springs from the certainty of salvation, not from my own achievements.

And at this truth, You Yourself, Jesus, rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit. Your joy sprang from the Father’s sovereign will to reveal this truth not to the wise and intelligent of this world, but to the little ones, the simple—to those who approach You with the heart of a little child. Thank You for revealing it to me.

All authority has been given to You by the Father. You are God who became man, and only through You can I know the Father. No one can come to Him unless You draw them and reveal the Father to them.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'” (Matthew 28:18)

What a privilege it is to live in this time, when I can see and hear what many before me longed for. What a grace to be a witness to Your revelation, once hidden but now made plain for all who believe.

“For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Luke 10:24)

Lord, may my greatest joy today be this: that by Your sovereign grace, I am Yours. Let me rejoice because my name is written in heaven. All else is secondary.