In the last few days, I’ve felt this immense JOY.
I can’t fully explain it. I can’t point to one particular moment, one circumstance, or one thing that suddenly changed. But after what has been a difficult season, I find myself filled with a joy that I can only credit to God Almighty.
Hallelujah.
It feels like a gift.
It’s not something I manufactured, chased down, or something that came because every problem disappeared.
It simply arrived before I fully realized it. One day, I noticed it was there.
And maybe that is part of the beauty of God’s joy. Many times, the Lord’s blessings meet us in unexpected places and unexpected seasons.
After walking through valleys, carrying burdens, and wrestling through uncertainty, there are moments when God reminds us that He is still near. That He is still good. That He is still working, even when we cannot see the whole picture.
YES, this joy feels different.
It is deeper than happiness. Happiness depends on what is happening around us. Joy comes from knowing the One who holds everything together.
The Apostle Paul understood this. He wrote about rejoicing not from a place of comfort, but from a place of hardship. His joy was not rooted in circumstances; it was rooted in Christ.
And that is the gift.
The gift of immense joy is not that life suddenly becomes easy.
The gift is discovering that God’s presence is greater than our circumstances.
HALLELUJAH.
Until my next post…
Be salty, stay lit.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
© 2026 Rainer Bantau | The Devotional Guy™ | All Rights Reserved
The Devotional Guy™ 
Yes, for a long time, actually. I started in 2007 after my Kidney Transplant while I was recovering at home.
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That’s fantastic! So you were a year round volunteer ? There are 8-9 PCs now. Terri and I started with packing a shoebox. Then we started a relay center that grew into a collection center. More shoeboxes, bigger truck, more volunteers. I also served as an area coordinator and as a PC chaplain for a bit.
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I actually started the Church Ministry part. I called tons of churches before Cell Phones to ask about doing demonstrations and getting involved in OCC.
I also volunteered at a Processing Center which is probably different now..but, quite enlightening, then.
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Awesome. Where did you volunteer at? Yes 🙌 it is a ministry that blesses a lot of people.
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I remember volunteering with Operation Christmas Child. It really is a blessing.
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Thanks Dana!
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AMEN! Well said, Rainer!
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Amen, amen 🙏 David. True. It’s such a blessing to experience a feeling I’ve been missing for a good minute.
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There’s something about heaven’s joy that’s like nothing the world can create. And when the world doesn’t give it to you, the world can’t take it away!
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