Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed to His Father. His disciples were with Him on that night of Passover before His death. The disciples didn”™t know of the coming events”¦but Jesus did.

As Jesus knew that in a few short hours He would be suffering beyond mere human endurance ““ what was His focus as He prayed?

(NIV) John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”

The dictionary defines “˜joy”™: A condition or feeling of high pleasure or delight; happiness; gladness.

Jesus was looking, not at the coming circumstances, but to His Father. He must have been anticipating His reunion of being in His Father”™s presence once again. Just as we use the phone to communicate with a loved one”¦it never is the same as being together.

Jesus had high pleasure and delight in the knowledge that He would be with His Father”¦soon. Jesus wants His followers to experience the same joy He had and has. His focus was on the joy that was set before Him. He also wants His followers to have His joy within”¦no matter the circumstances.

Joy is not to be dependent on anything or anyone but God.

(NASB) Hebrews 12:1-2 “THEREFORE, SINCE we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Where will you choose to focus your thoughts today?

Jesus desires His followers to have His joy within.