I spoke about “joy” a while back. You never know what “post-sermonic” conversation will be stirred up by a lesson.
One woman said, “You know, joy is a wonderful concept to read about. I often think about Galatians 5:22 when I think about joy. That text says it is a fruit or evidence of the Spirit’s presence in our lives.” She continued, “But I have to say, I have often struggled with this aspect of the Spirit’s presence. Quite frankly, there are times I don’t “feel happy or thrilled” in my heart after I pray about a difficulty I’m experiencing. And yet, I hear people tell similar stories as if they floated on angels wings and were transported into spiritual ecstasy in a way that is so beyond me. I must be really weak. I continue to pray. I seek God’s guidance. I serve as I can. I am engaged in my faith…I think. But, I don’t often feel “high with joy” – if you can say it that way.”
And, she was only one of several who related bits and pieces of a similar perspective.
Too often joy is equated with a “mood.” It is described as a high spiritual emotion. Triumphant theology that is very popular these days says, and I don’t mean to oversimplify it here, “turn loose, let God and feel good about it.” Sounds good. But, how often have you run your fingers over a few texts on joy to quickly discover that if that’s what joy really is, then, like the woman’s comments above, I so often come up way short of what it means to live joyfully?
Joy is easy to talk about. It’s difficult to enter into it. Perhaps that is why scripture reminds us to “be joyful.” It doesn’t come naturally for us. Joy is not a mood. It might be more correctly defined as a settled state of mind that leads us into calmness, confidence and comfort and which helps us stay focused in our faith. Read that sentence three or four times.
Another person remarked, “There were times in my life that I had to struggle through stuff. It took time to get to a mature place of thought in my life. A place of strength in my heart. There were days I cried, agonized, and was just quiet and reflective. Handing it over to the Lord was a process that eventually brought me into a season of peace, courage, and strength in the Spirit.
In a culture that is fixated on “feeling good” about everything, it is important that we do some hard thinking about what joy is and isn’t.
Jesus spoke of joy the night before he went to the cross (John 15:11; 17:13) Joy falls from Paul’s pen several times as he writes to the Philippian Christians from house arrest. “Rejoice in the Lord”, he says, “and again I will say rejoice!” (4:4)
James says we should count it all joy when we experience trials of different kinds (James 1:2).
Really? As you read deeper into James chapter one it becomes obvious that James is speaking to “real people” for whom 1:2-4 is anything but a “paint-by-numbers” experience. It did not naturally fall into place for them. James exhorts his readers to find their way into joy despite hard times but then he gets into the nitty-gritty of how some of his readers were thinking (1:13-16) and responding to struggles (i.e., quick to anger, quick to speak and slow to hear! 1:19). He reminds them that the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. He exhorts them to receive the word “implanted” which can save their souls. They need to look “into the Word” (1:22-25) – to meditate on it and listen (quick to hear!) to what it has to say about finding wisdom (1:5-8) and allow that "experience" to help them into the perspective of joy.
Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” Finding our way into joy and the battles we go through to get to it may say more about our faith and what the Spirit is doing in our hearts than a “high” ever can or will. On the other side of our journey into joy we can share something meaningful with other believers about how good the Lord is and how sweet it is to live in His will. And, we can smile a deep, genuine smile that comes from an experience of surrender and sanctification that is beyond anything this world can offer. I can’t think of anybody who doesn’t need that. Can you?
Randy Daugherty
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