Still Awake?

A little closer to Jesus every evening.

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August 4

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The Joy That Comes from Jesus

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Matthew 2:10–11

“When they saw the star, they were filled with exceedingly great joy. They went into the house and found the child with Mary, his mother. Then they fell down and worshiped him.”
Matthew 2:10–11

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When was the last time you felt truly joyful?

Perhaps because you passed an exam.

Because you received good news.

Because of a vacation.

Or simply because you were able to spend time with someone you love.

Joy is one of God’s most beautiful gifts.

Yet it is often temporary.

Today we rejoice.

Tomorrow, the moment has already passed.

The joy of the wise men was different.

Matthew even writes that they were “filled with exceedingly great joy.”

Why?

Because they saw the star again?

Not only because of that.

The star was important. But it was never the destination.

It was only the guide.

The destination was Jesus.

How quickly we sometimes confuse the guide with the destination.

We rejoice in beautiful experiences.

In success.

In recognition.

In gifts.

But all these things can make us happy only for a moment.

The joy that lasts can be found only in Jesus.

When the wise men entered the house, something remarkable happened.

Matthew does not write that they first greeted Mary.

He does not say that they admired the house.

He does not even mention that they spoke about their long journey.

Their eyes fell upon Jesus.

And immediately, it was clear what they should do.

They fell down and worshiped him.

Try to imagine that moment.

They had been traveling for months.

They had covered many miles.

They had experienced uncertainty.

Perhaps others had laughed at them.

Perhaps they themselves had sometimes doubted.

But now they finally stood before Jesus.

In that moment, every hardship was forgotten.

Sometimes our lives are similar.

We are on the way.

We hope.

We wait.

We pray.

And often we wonder whether the journey is worth it at all.

The story of the wise men gives us a wonderful answer.

Yes.

Every step toward Jesus is worthwhile.

Perhaps you do not recognize that today.

Perhaps your faith sometimes feels dry.

Perhaps you read the Bible and think:

“Why do I not feel anything?”

The wise men surely had days when all they could see was sand, heat, and exhaustion.

But they continued.

And eventually, they stood before Jesus.

I believe that many people are searching for joy, but in the wrong places.

They look for it in likes.

In recognition.

In success.

In relationships.

In money.

All these things can be beautiful.

But none of them can permanently fill the emptiness of our hearts.

We were not created for that.

We were created for fellowship with God.

Augustine once wrote:

“Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.”

Perhaps this is precisely why some people have everything and are still unhappy.

And why others have so little and yet live with deep peace.

True joy does not depend primarily upon our circumstances.

It grows wherever Jesus is at the center.

That is why, this evening, I do not wish you success above all else.

Nor perfect grades.

Nor a life without problems.

I wish you something far greater.

That you may encounter Jesus.

For wherever Jesus is, a joy begins to grow that reaches deeper than every feeling.

A joy that endures even through difficult days.

A joy that no one can take away from you.

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Think About It

What does your joy depend upon at the moment?

What would need to happen for you to be happy tomorrow?

And what would change if Jesus himself became the greatest joy of your life?

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Prayer

Dear Father,

thank you that true joy does not depend upon my circumstances, but upon you.

So often I search for happiness in the wrong places.

Please turn my eyes toward Jesus again and again.

Give me a heart that rejoices in your presence.

And help me never to forget that the greatest joy is not found in what I receive, but in the One whom I encounter.

Thank you that Jesus is here.

Today.

And tomorrow as well.

Amen.

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Sleep well.

The greatest joy is not waiting for tomorrow.

It has a name:

Jesus.

See you tomorrow.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/%f0%9f%8c%99-still-awake-08-04-2026-%f0%9f%98%8a-the-joy-that-comes-from-jesus/

From Babylon to the Eternal Kingdom

Historical, Spiritual, and Prophetic Poems from the Book of Daniel

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Chapter 1 – Miniseries 4

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The Prophetic Preparation

How God Shaped His Servants for Greater Tasks

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Poem 5 – God Prepares His Servants

Heaven Sees Farther Than Humanity

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Day after day, Daniel looked back
upon the road behind his steps.
So much had changed along the way,
yet God’s faithfulness remained greater.

From Judah all the way to Babylon,
from temple courts to royal throne,
the Lord had faithfully guided him
and touched each step along the road.

When Jerusalem’s walls had fallen
and many hopes had broken with them,
the future seemed both dark and heavy,
as though no morning could remain.

But God saw farther than humanity,
beyond the present and the passing years.
He knew the ending from the beginning
and guided all things by His will.

What Daniel could not understand
was safely held in God’s fatherly hand.
The pathways that appeared so strange
would serve a higher purpose still.

The Lord prepares His servants well
long before He opens any door.
He shapes their faith in quiet depths
according to His wise and gracious will.

No one becomes prepared at once
for the great tasks of their appointed time.
Heaven works from year to year
upon what later will be clearly seen.

The school of Babylon was far more
than scholarship and human learning.
God used each hour they spent there
as preparation for His Word.

The king’s own table, plain and small,
was also part of God’s great plan.
There Daniel learned while still so young
how deeply faithfulness can matter.

The test appeared so small to others,
yet reached into the depths of life.
For character grows on in secret
through choices faithfully made each day.

Hananiah learned the same devotion,
and Mishael stood steadfast too.
Azariah likewise was being shaped,
like gold refined within the fire.

Heaven rejoiced to see
what God began within these men.
For every victory in their walk of faith
prepared the way for what would follow.

Babylon saw only young men
instructed by accomplished teachers.
But angels saw far more than this:
God was preparing His own servants.

No one within the kingdom knew
that momentous days were drawing near.
No one yet knew what would unfold
when God began to lift the veil.

A dream would soon invade the night
with images ordained by heaven.
The king would stand without an answer,
and no one would know what to say.

Then it would clearly be revealed
why God had long prepared Daniel.
For those entrusted with mysteries
must first learn how to trust completely.

The Lord does not give revelation
to hearts concerned with self alone.
He seeks the person who is ready
to walk in humility and faithfulness.

Therefore every trial held value
that nourished Daniel’s growing faith.
Therefore every difficult season
formed part of God’s eternal purpose.

The same divine path still remains
that God’s own wisdom lays before us.
He often leads through hidden years
before revealing greater tasks.

Some ask amid their darkest season:
“Why does God lead me down this road?”
Yet often only later do we see
how good His plan had always been.

The Most High never makes a mistake;
His eyes behold what we cannot see.
He knows the road no one else knows
and leads us safely to the end.

Daniel learned this day by day
while Babylon surrounded him.
He knew that God’s own hand alone
would always be his strength.

Thus the Lord prepared him
for service at the royal court.
Not fame, not power, not human praise,
but God’s own guidance bore him onward.

And when God’s appointed hour arrives,
what He prepared becomes revealed.
Then it is often clearly seen
that faithfulness is never wasted.

And so this truth continues shining
through every age and every place:
the Lord prepares His servants well
long before He opens any door.

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Prophetic Reflection

God often works for a long time in secret before He acts in public. His ways differ fundamentally from human expectations. While we often seek quick solutions, visible success, and immediate results, God usually works quietly, patiently, and step by step. He lays the foundation before allowing the structure to appear. He develops the roots before the fruit becomes visible. His greatest work therefore often begins where human beings see nothing extraordinary.

Daniel is a powerful example of this divine principle. As a young man, he was carried away from his homeland. Jerusalem lay in ruins, the temple had been desecrated, and his future appeared destroyed. From a human perspective, his deportation to Babylon was a tragedy. No one at that time could have imagined that this painful road would become the beginning of one of the most significant prophetic ministries in the entire Bible.

At first, Daniel did not understand why God permitted him to walk this path. He did not know why he had to leave his family, his homeland, and the temple. He could not see the decades ahead. He knew nothing of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, the visions concerning the world empires, the lions’ den, or the revelations about the time of the end. All he could see was the next step. Yet precisely there, he learned to trust God even when His ways remained hidden.

In retrospect, it becomes clear that no experience was accidental. Every chapter of Daniel’s life formed part of God’s preparation. His education at the Babylonian court gave him knowledge of language, culture, and government. His service under several kings taught him wisdom, patience, and responsibility. Challenges strengthened his faith. Trials deepened his fellowship with God. Even painful experiences became instruments through which the Lord shaped His servant.

Heaven shapes character before entrusting responsibility. God knows that a person given great tasks without a firmly established character could easily fail. He therefore gives maturity before influence. He teaches humility before granting honor. He teaches obedience before giving authority. He teaches trust before revealing great mysteries. In God’s kingdom, inward preparation always precedes outward calling.

This principle appears throughout the Bible. Joseph spent years as a slave and prisoner before governing Egypt. Moses lived for forty years as a shepherd in the wilderness before leading Israel. David learned to trust God as a shepherd and fugitive before becoming king. Paul spent time in the solitude of Arabia before beginning his worldwide ministry. Even Jesus spent most of His earthly life in the obscurity of Nazareth before His public ministry began. God never bypasses the path of preparation.

The hidden years therefore possess immeasurable value. People often experience seasons of waiting as stagnation or even as regression. Yet from God’s perspective, they are frequently the most fruitful years. Although little may appear to happen outwardly, the Holy Spirit is working deeply within the heart. He purifies motives, strengthens faith, teaches patience, and prepares the person for what is still to come.

Many trials reveal their meaning only in retrospect. Daniel may have understood only years later why God had led him to Babylon. We likewise often understand God’s ways only afterward. What appears today to be a closed door may tomorrow become the beginning of a new calling. What seems today like defeat may later prove to have been necessary preparation for a greater ministry. God wastes no experience in the lives of His children.

The Lord still leads His children along paths they do not initially understand. Some experience seasons of waiting, uncertainty, or suffering. Others carry responsibilities whose meaning remains hidden. Still others wonder why God closes certain doors and opens others. Yet the Lord sees farther than we can see. He knows not only the present moment, but the entire journey to its destination.

From a Seventh-day Adventist perspective, this principle also applies to the preparation of God’s end-time people. The Lord does not begin preparing His church only when the final prophetic events unfold. He is already working today within the hearts of believers. Every experience, trial, and decision of faith can become part of this preparation. God is shaping a people who will remain faithful to Him during the decisive hours of world history because they have already come to know Him during the quiet years of life.

Daniel therefore teaches us to trust God even when we cannot yet recognize His plan. We do not need to know every answer in order to follow Him obediently. It is enough to know that the Lord knows the way. The God who led Daniel through Babylon still guides His children safely today. He loses sight of none of His purposes and completes what He has begun.

The Most High sees the end from the beginning. What appears to us as separate and unrelated events belongs, in His hand, to one perfect plan. We may therefore continue forward with hope. God’s preparation never ends in chance, but always in the fulfillment of His gracious will.

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.’” (Isaiah 46:10)

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/%f0%9f%91%91-from-babylon-to-the-eternal-kingdom-ch-1-%f0%9f%94%a5-miniseries-4-%f0%9f%93%96-the-prophetic-preparation-%e2%9c%a8-poem-5-god-prepares-his-servants/