Joy comes from the Lord. He is the Source and Sustainer of our joy. And if we want to experience greater joy--even in the midst of the hard, dark places in our lives--we need to look to Him and His Word.
There. Told you it was simple. But goodness, how often we (or at least, I) live as if we've forgotten that simple but utterly life-changing truth.
Joy is not happiness. No, happiness comes from happenings. We experience happiness when the test results are good...or our children are walking with the Lord...or the weather is just right (which for many of us is a ridiculously narrow window of not-too-hot and not-too-cold)...or the golf game is going well (as a mother of golfers, this one convicts the socks off of me! Really? Am I going to determine my level of joy and contentment based on whether my boys are struggling in a game? Forgive me, Father!)...or our house is clean, organized and welcoming...or our relationships are running smoothly...or our bank account is full...or, well, you fill in the blank.
None of these things are bad things. They're just clearly not the ultimate thing. They were never meant to--nor will they ever--bring us joy.
Joy allows our hearts to sing even in the darkness. Joy sustains us when we're weary. Joy splashes hope all over us when we're discouraged. And joy depends not upon us or our circumstances or our level of success or our appearance or our anything!
Joy comes from the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth!
Just a few verses to remind us:
"...the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10) Amen!
"You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11) Your presence, Lord Jesus, Your presence is our joy!
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." (Isa.12:2) You are the song that we sing, Lord! You are our strength in the midst of the fiercest battle or the deepest pit.
And one of my personal favorites: "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." (Jer.15:11)
God's Word is our joy, and when we eat of His Word, we will ingest that God-joy!
Now let me tell you, I love to eat. In fact, that's a major understatement. Just last night, my son and I went to a Dairy Queen, and I got to eat this--
That butterscotch-dipped cone--it's now a distant memory. That happiness it gave me was sweet but short-lived. But not the Word of God. We can eat and eat and eat of it and the result will always be joy...and more joy. And no weight gain.
I don't know about you, but that's the kind of joy-producing, joy-sustaining eating I pray will be my focus and delight this day and everyday. Because God Word never, ever fails. Happiness rises and falls with happenings...but joy remains and sustains.
To God be the glory.
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