Joy

“Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.

Then Nehemiah told them, ‘Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8: 9-10 Berean

The Israelites had just completed the rebuilding of Jerusalem, God’s holy city that had been destroyed by their enemies. Their leader, Nehemiah, along with Ezra and the Levitical priests, were reading the Book of Moses to the people. They had so longed to hear the words of the Law of Moses. They asked that it be read to them by their leaders, then began weeping as they listened and understood.

But this was a time of restoration, of celebration, so Nehemiah told them to go and feast. It was a Holy Day and there was no need to grieve, for “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:9-12 KJV

What makes joy more likely to remain in us, filling us up with His joy? Why, it is love! When we love the Lord, there is no limit to the joy we know in loving Him, abiding in His love, and loving others! It’s not just a great feeling to be joyful, it’s the source of every Christian’s strength. He is our joy, ever-present within us.

Ever have times when you are battered and beaten down in this life, feeling little strength to get up and go at it the next day? Those are likely times when we’ve lost connection with His joy, ever-present but not always felt within. But nothing gets us out of our own times of struggle more quickly than when God turns our focus. God knows how to refresh us, revealing Himself afresh to us and renewing our joy.

His joy is not like our joy in having great experiences and blessings in our lives. It’s not the momentary flood of happiness at a special event or time of celebration. It is an enduring part of God’s nature, available as part of the Kingdom within. Joy is always there, whether we feel it or lose sight of it. True riches are found in love, not enjoyable circumstances. God is love and His love is rich with all of the fruit of the spirit, including joy.

There are 430 times when joy is mentioned in the Bible, far more than happiness is mentioned. This supports the distinction between the joy of the Lord and our earthly feelings of happiness. Happiness is that momentary, wonderful feeling that comes from external events, including a wonderful time worshiping and communing with the Lord. Joy is the ever-present substance of God’s nature, always bubbling like a well within, ready to overflow:

“For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5 Berean

David wrote these lines when he sought the Lord for deliverance from his enemies and healing from his afflictions. We go through our dark times, “weeping in the night” when the light of His countenance seems far from us. The truth of David’s statement about God only having momentary anger sharply contrasts with the teaching that an angry, vengeful God will eternally punish unbelievers, banishing them all to hell forever. That is not momentary anger and it takes no account that His mercy endureth forever.

His judgment is sure but always redemptive, limited for a season, a time, an age, or a spiritual dispensation in order to accomplish His refining work. God is love and mercy. His nature is not to remain angry with those He loves and He loves the world. It’s just for a “moment” when it seems as if He has turned His back on us. God directs His discipline to deliver us from our enemies within, to bring us into the joyful light of His morning. His wrath is His passion for having a people in which to fully dwell.

When Jesus was facing the suffering, pain, and shame of the cross, He predicted joy to His disciples. How odd this must have sounded in such desperate times! He knew how they would suffer watching His arrest, whipping, derision and shame. Such deep suffering and death they witnessed but hallellujah, joy comes in the morning! Can we even imagine the joy of resurrection morning, when Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty and He then appeared?

“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22

Jesus told them that no one could ever take their joy from them after they saw Him again, in His resurrection. He is our joy and no one can take Him from us. We have times of sorrow and weeping, enduring through the night, darkness swallowing us up. But joy does come in the dawning of the new Day. He promises that joy within, coming from His abiding place in our hearts, will not be taken from us.

When we can’t find the joy and note that our strength is waning, we have just momentarily, through times of adversity and pain, lost sight of it. We do become weary in well-doing. But joy cannot be taken from us because He can never be taken from within us, in our hearts. Once invited in, Jesus Christ does not leave. Happiness is circumstantial, more fleeting than we would wish. It leaves as the many sorrows of this earth overtake us.

But joy, His joy, is everlasting. Jesus’ joy at fulfilling His calling is certain:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 Berean

Yes, Jesus Christ endured the cross but scorned or despised the shame. In other words, He did not focus on the suffering or the shame of dying on the cross just like the worst criminals of His day. He set His heart on the joy He would bring to humanity by fulfilling what His Father had called Him to do. His victory gave Him enduring joy, forever available to us no matter what we are facing. We can endure present suffering and affliction, knowing our times of participation in His suffering eventually bring much joy in God’s processing and plan for all.

His joy is in us with the fullness of His joy developing over time. When we see pictures of present-day saints who have endured great suffering and grief, there is noticeable joy in their eyes, a twinkle of the rejoicing of His ever-present, most faithful spirit within. Their years of affliction and sorrow do not rob them of His joy. This joy has filled these Christians up inside so that it shines forth from their countenance, overflowing in love for God and others. They know the presence of His joy, having passed through many tests and trials where they learned of His faithfulness. They clung to the words Jesus spoke. They are spirit and they are life!

We don’t have to rely on His fleshly presence as in the days He was on this earth. Because He lives inside of us, building His kingdom of righteousness, He is ever-present. The kingdom of God is within us, and He brought it! We, like David, can always go to Him. David had many dark times, regardless of the eternal promises given to him by God. We see in the Psalms how he took his troubles to the Lord and celebrated in His presence:

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalms 16:11 ESV

God desires His people to be joyful, to enjoy the allotment of His Kingdom He has provided. His presence continually fills up His joy within us. It’s a powerful prayer to ask God to show us the path of life He has for us. This is not merely a nice turn of phrase, it is a specific promise that He will show us how to live. There is His path for our lives, outlined in the scriptures and more specifically understood by His spirit. Therein lies the joy of walking in obedient surrender.

There is a particular path for each of us that God knows. He is revealing it, appearing within to tell us how to walk, where to go, and what to do. As we draw near to him, particularly in times of adversity, His presence to guide, direct, and reassure us is there, along with His joy. The most joyful place to walk is in the center of His will. Challenges? Yes. Afflictions? Yes. But:

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19-20 NKJV

God is the only way to experience eternal, everlasting joy! His presence is love and that is the fullness of joy. When our roots go down deep into Him, the fruit of the spirit grows naturally, being attached to the Vine. Joy is the second fruit of the spirit to be named by Paul, who said there is no law against these qualities. Joy connects with happiness but is distinct from it because it is a stand-alone fruit of the spirit.

We can seek and obtain all we want of His nature to bear all of His fruit, the signs of living in Him.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

Our heavenly Father loves us. Like any father, He enjoys us being joyful. What makes a parent more joyful, themselves, than when their dearly loved and precious children show forth joy? Wise parents teach their children that true joy comes from those things that are unseen, the godly qualities within, not from possessions or entertainment or experiences. Indeed, we are commanded to be joyful:

“Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Psalms 32:11 Berean

His joy is literally our strength. Without it, we are weak and become despondent, particularly in our trials. We cannot fake it or work hard to have it. We need faith to trust that because He is within us, His joy is always there and will return when our “morning” comes. He promises to bring our awareness to it again, to bubble up within as we come out of our dark times—and occasionally, right in the midst of darkness!

The Lord does not say we cannot have joy while there is so much darkness and suffering in the world. Who is more aware of all that than our heavenly Father? We have joy because He knows the end from the beginning, because He is promising that, like David, we will emerge from the night into the bright dawning of a new day, into the joy of His presence. Joy comes in the morning!

We humans are prone to work at being happy. We go from thing to thing, experience to experience, relationship to relationship, possession to possession, success to success, in search of happiness. Happiness is a good thing, but what we learn is that it is only fleeting. When growing up with lack and scarcity, some mistakenly think in their hearts, “When I have enough (money, possessions, security, adventures, friends, love, etc), then I will be happy.”

As we mature in the Lord, we learn that this kind of happiness leads some to seek more and more in this life, an endless search for fulfillment with no lasting contentment. That’s not what He promises. Here is what He promises:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 Berean

Joy is not something we need to work at and try hard to develop. Does fruit have to groan and strain to grow on an fruit tree? It grows and matures naturally as long as it is connected to the tree, receiving rain and sun along the way. As we focus on Him, the fruit of His spiritual character grows within us. Our spiritual Vine has all we need for spiritual maturity.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.” Psalms 1:1-3 Berean

We delight in His word, His way shown to us daily. Do you want to prosper in all that you do? Here are the spiritual keys to that. God’s people are not to walk in worldly counsel, follow the path of life that sinners take, nor be a part of the mockers around us. We learn to delight in His law, enjoying His word more than anything else. There is a hunger for spiritual things and an appreciation that God builds within us that surely does not come easily to the fleshly man!

Humans have a natural spiritual hunger often unrecognized as a longing for God. Look all around and you will observe humans feeding our God-hunger with many other things that are temporal and unsatisfying. Of course, only God can satisfy God-hunger, that deep longing within for the love, intimacy and comfort with our Saviour and our heavenly Father. To find it, the focus of our hearts is to be on the kingdom of God, which is love, peace, and joy.

We seek His righteousness, the right way He does things, and our path of life, first. Then anything we truly need will be added—and more! We become that tree planted—rooted and grounded in Him—by His streams of spiritual water. This yields the fruit of His spirit in every season. No withering leaves for the Tree of Life! Everlasting joy is within, giving us the strength to endure the hard times along the way:

“So the redeemed of the Lord will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy.

Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.” Isaiah 35: 10 Berean

In this Day of the Lord surely upon us, we are returning to spiritual Zion, where dwell the perfected saints on the other side. They are waiting for us to join them in coming victories on the earth at His appearing. The fullness of His joy is a promise to be fulfilled in this time. Truly, truly His kingdom is coming to the earth, established in His redeemed saints. The time for the fullness of His joy is now!