"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." - Psalm 126:5
I am on a journey to joy. It
is a journey for me, because on some days my melancholy personality wars
against the joy of the Spirit within me. So much in life is so disheartening
and grievous. I feel such profound sorrow deep within my soul when I see all
the suffering on our planet. I also lament over sin and the harmful effects it
has on the innocent and on the people that I love. Most of all, I mourn for
those who refuse to believe in Jesus as their Savior, because as a result they
condemn themselves for eternity (John 3:18).
Mourning is the soil in
which true joy and comfort blossoms. The person who experiences sorrow is the
best possible person to console others (Psalm 126:5). God promised to comfort those who mourn
(Isaiah 57:18). Therefore, there
is no reason that the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my spirit cannot override
this natural penchant in my personality toward melancholia. The joy of the Lord
is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and
it flows out of my spirit, infiltrates my soul and shines out through my
countenance, as I put my hope in God and praise Him as my Savior and my Lord (Psalm 43:5).
A lack of joy in the life of
the Christian may also be the result of unconfessed sin. David prayed, during a
time of walking away from the Lord, that God would restore to him the joy of
his salvation (Psalm 51:12). His
unconfessed sin dimmed his joy in God’s saving work. Yet, when He confessed his
sin and repented, his joy returned. Repentance does our heart good as well. It
frees us of the guilt, which accompanies sin, and it restores fellowship for us
with our Father.
Having a carnal, worldly focus
and priorities can also rob us of joy. Whether or not we possess earthly
riches, our joy is still full because of who God is in our life. I love the
sentiment in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and
there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the
fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the
cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in
the God of my salvation.” Regardless of what we have or experience in life, joy
comes when we focus on God alone.
Joy follows gratitude in our hearts. As we are thankful,
then we can also feel intense joy. As we praise our Father, then His joy flows
through us without boundaries erected by negativity and pessimism. Joy comes when we grow to love God more than anything
the world has to offer. Joy rises as I sense God's love and favor. My soul is
glad in the Lord (Psalm 35:9). His
comforts delight my soul (Psalm 94:19).
Even in times of sorrow we
can always rejoice (2 Corinthians 6:10), because God works everything out for our good (Romans
8:28). As we keep our focus on Him
rather than on the circumstances around us, God keeps us in His perfect peace (Isaiah
26:3). In His presence we find abundant
joy. With His blessings our pleasures are eternal (Psalm
16:11). He strengthens us in spirit and
body by strengthening our soul (Psalm 138:3).
He also sends our friends with a timely word to cheer our
hearts (Proverbs 15:23) when we
need it the most.
As we give God the sacrifice
of praise, He exalts us above our enemies such as negative personality traits,
even when they threaten to overpower us, (Psalm 116:17). He sheds His light and joy on us, and we rejoice in Him (Psalm 97:11-12). This leads to genuine praise and we actually shout for joy and make
music to the Lord (Psalm 27:6). Our
happy heart makes our face shine and heartache no longer crushes our spirit (Proverbs 15:13).
A cheerful heart is good medicine and it keeps depression
from crushing our spirit (Proverbs
17:22). We are glad and rejoice at the thought that we will one
day return to that heavenly city, where God will crown our heads with
everlasting joy (Isaiah 35:10). We will go out with joy and He will lead us in peace. Even the mountains,
the hills and the trees will burst forth in praise right along with us (Isaiah 55:12). He fills us with the joy of His
presence and the promise of eternal pleasures (Psalm
16:11). On this
earth, we have times of grief, but when we see Him face to face, we will
rejoice and no one will ever take that away from us (John 16:22).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when we look to
other people, even family and close friends, to fill our soul with joy, we get
disappointed time and again. However, when we look to You alone, You fill our
hearts with Your love, joy and peace. Then, after we learn to turn to You as
the source of all good things, You bring people into our lives that bless us as
well.
Thought for the Day:
"Enter
into the joy of your Lord!" - Matthew 25:21Thank you, Mary Baker, for the use of your photo.
