How to Experience Joy in the Christian Life
What images come to mind when you think of the word joy? Do you envision pre-Christmas/Christmas celebrations with all the promise of fun family gatherings that the holiday brings? Are you reminded of your wedding day and all the hope the future held? Do you think about a pregnancy announcement or the birth of a sweet baby?
The Oxford dictionary defines joy as follows: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
But does joy mean the same thing in the Christian's life, a life with ups and downs, trials and tribulations? Are we supposed to feel great pleasure and happiness in the midst of pain? Can we still be joyful no matter what the circumstances are?
What Does the Bible Say About Finding Joy?
The Bible records at least 100 verses about joy. But one key verse stands out as a joy prompt for every day...
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
It may sound cliche, but every day truly is a gift from God. When we wake up and we are still breathing, we have reason to rejoice. Greeting each and every morning rejoicing that God has upheld us through the night and blessed us with another day does a lot to rewire our brains to be joyful. It puts our day into perspective no matter what we might face.
Every day ordained for us by God has a Divine purpose from our good Father, no matter what that day might look like. We can be glad in the day and rejoice in it because our joy waits expectantly to see all that God will do.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4
The Lord prepares a table before us every morning of choice blessings. We need only ask to see them and our spiritual eyes will find joy, even in the most difficult circumstances.
Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:24a
Finding joy each day comes just as sure as the sun rises.
How Do We Get the Joy of the Lord?
Have you noticed there are some Christians that just exude an inner joy, a deep down quietness that expresses itself through a calm and gentle demeanor, even amidst trials? Where do they get it from and can I have it please?
Every Believer in Christ Jesus has the joy of the Lord residing inside of them through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the spiritual gifts.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galations 5:22
But how do we truly experience that joy? How are we filled with the joy of the Lord?
First and foremost, we go to the Word of God.
Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
The more and more we saturate ourselves with Scripture and let it soak down deep inside, we will develop the habit of seeing our lives and circumstances with the joy that is set before us, our Heavenly home which awaits every Believer.
It's like waiting for our wedding day, the birth of a child or a great vacation, no matter what is going on in our lives at the moment, even the hard stuff, we have this underlying joy and excitement knowing what is to come. Sometimes that might be the only thing we have to hold onto when we are going through hard times. Truly experiencing joy in Christ alone, not our external circumstances plus Jesus, but God alone.
How to Find True Joy in the Midst of Struggles?
When life is hard, it's hard to feel joyful. In the thick of it, we might be so focused on the problem at hand, that we forget where our true joy is found. It's like we need the Lord to come up to us and say, "Look at me dear child. I am right here. There is purpose in this pain, and I will make your joy complete."
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. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.…
Hebrews 12:2-3
Let us not grow weary and lose heart, but instead keep our eyes on the One who is preparing a place for us where there will only be rejoicing, never another tear.
Interestingly, the Word of God tells us to COUNT IT ALL JOY when we meet various trials...
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, or you
know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have
its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4
Trials are meant for our joy?? It would appear so!
While we are on this Pilgrim journey our Faith is continually being tested and built up. The Lord is preparing us for Heaven. Trials are tangible evidences of the Lord working in us so that as we continue down the narrow road that leads to Heaven, our way will become easier and easier, as we will become more and more steadfast and less likely to waver when trials come which will result in less and less worry, less and less fear and more and more dependence upon God and His strength. Now that is something to be joyful about!
What is the Key to Experiencing Joy in the Christian Life?
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
The Word of God promises that no one will take our joy away from us. But sometimes we allow others to steal our joy, and that's on us...
It's definitely not easy when we are around very negative people, those who complain about EVERYTHING. We are social creatures and a majority of us could probably admit that we find ourselves picking up the traits of those we spend a lot of time with, and unfortunately, that can include negativity.
Other times, we may try to counter every negative comment with a positive one, only to find ourselves becoming exhausted with every rebuttal that whips back to us.
So how then do we have joy in situations like this? What is the key to experiencing joy with difficult people and when life gets hard?
Biblical joy is choosing to respond to our circumstances through an eternal lens remembering that the Lord uses every aspect of our lives to develop within us a dependence upon Him that only He can satisfy, one based on His goodness and love.
It's that simple. It's a choice to ask God for wisdom, for help, for strength, for insight, and He WILL answer...
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5
...and there we will find joy.
Jesus embodies our joy in every aspect. Believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit. He reminds us over and over again of the joy that is ours in Christ Jesus. When we truly listen to that still small voice speaking joy over our lives, we will live in that joy and wholly experience it.
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Joy is such a blessing! I've felt it during the hardest struggles too, and it really does come from the Lord. These are great insights. Thank you for sharing! I'm visiting today from the Inspire Me Monday link up. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHi Marielle, Indeed it is! I really think that the highest joys we experience are when we are in the deepest pit for it is then that we truly see God working and sustaining us.
DeleteThank you for your kind words. I appreciate them so much!
And thank you for stopping by. :-)
Joy is everywhere when we slow down and absorb it. Even the word brings a smile to mind. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteHi Peabea, Indeed! You too!
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by. :-)