Day 17: The Joy Of Obedience

Joy is not always loud, easy, or even convenient, especially when you’re watching the world hurt and your own life is not turning out the way you prayed it would. Today’s devotional is a gentle but direct reset for women of faith who feel stuck between “I’m trying to obey God” and “why does this still feel so hard?”We sit with Psalm 40:8 and the phrase that reframes everything: obedience is not burdensome, it births joy and alignment with God’s will. I talk honestly about the kind of suffering that confuses us the most, the moments when we can’t point to a clear misstep, yet we still feel disappointed, overlooked, or misunderstood. Then we name what God may be inviting us to do: redefine success. In the kingdom of God, success is not the outcome you can control. Success is the moment you obey what God tells you to do.From there, we get practical. We explore why joy often slips away when we don’t know God’s promises, and why knowing Scripture is a spiritual discipline that strengthens your faith and consistency. I share a reflection question to help you notice how your expectations may be masking the joy already in front of you, plus a concrete obedience step: reading Psalm 119 in one sitting to let God’s Word shape your heart.If this encouraged you, subscribe, rate, and review the Intentional Woman Podcast, share it with another woman, and DM me on IG if you want prayer. What have you expected joy to look like that might be causing you to miss it right now?