What proceeds joy?

Psalm 94:8-19 NIV

Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? The Lord  knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile. Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord ,
the one you teach from your law; you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord  will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord  had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, "My foot is slipping,"
your unfailing love, Lord , supported me. When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.

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Far too often we imagine a life of following Jesus will be a life without problems. Or we have deceived ourselves into thinking there will be quick solutions for all of our struggles.

Read through some of the Psalms and you'll get the idea God rescues people from problems. The rescue comes but always in the face of trouble.

Look at the life of Jesus.  It was full of problems. Rejection, enemies, family struggles, betrayal, disappointment and death are everywhere Jesus goes.
Indeed, there was healing. But there was someone who needed to be healed. People were fed, but people were hungry too.

Psalm 94 highlights a number of struggles.
The person writing the Psalm had to contend with unbelief and ignorance. He seems to be surrounded by people who don't have a proper view of God. They are really getting it wrong on the God front. They don't think he listens or sees. They don't understand that God is actively teaching the nations, even punishing them.
The people the psalmist is writing to have somehow come to the conclusion that God doesn't know what he is doing. Or they wrongly have come to believe that God has missed what's going on in the world.
God knows what's going on!
And God knows the plans of man will come to nothing.

There's more bad news but that is not the end of the story.

You'd not have understood if it didn't get you worked up a bit. Understandably all this misinformation is distressing. You can't be blamed if you feel anxious about the situation in the world.

But you can look to God for comfort. You can expect that God consoles. You CAN have joy. Because you know God hears, sees, disciplines, punishes, teaches, relieves and gives joy.

Yes there will be trouble! Expect people to not get it right concerning God. Expect to feel anxiety over it. Expect God to replace your anxiety with joy. How does he do that? He does it by reminding you that he hears, sees, disciplines, punishes, teaches, relieves and gives joy.
Can you believe it?
Do you accept that your God hears, sees, disciplines, punishes, teaches, relieves and gives joy?

Will you receive the consolation that leads to joy?

Troubles? Yes!

JOY?  YES!