Allowing God’s Joy
Do you wonder in the course of a difficult journey if you have room for joy in your life? There are all kinds of emotions that begin to creep into our mind when we see a sliver of joy in our suffering. Sometimes we feel guilty for even attempting joy in our daily lives. How can I enjoy my grandchildren since my mother is gone? The birth of a baby can be overshadowed by guilt while experiencing sadness. These are a normal part of experiencing grief and the Bible can help to find God’s joy in difficult situations.
Where does our joy come from?
“You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11 NIV
This verse gives an answer to that question. If we want real joy, it can be found in the presence of God. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are then able to enter God’s presence and are able to know true joy. By living in His will, we can continue in His joy.
In Our Faith We Can Find God’s Joy
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
“Paul is not asking God to simply dump joy and peace into their hearts without cause. He is asking that as these believers trust in God, their faith will bring joy and peace to their hearts. In other words, help them to keep believing so that they can experience joy and peace.” bibleref.com
Trusting in God will bring joy in your life at any time. It will help encourage and sustain in times of distress, so take hold of the benefits of faith in Jesus Christ. Allow God to heal your heart with His joy.
We Can Find God’s Joy in Worship
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.” Psalm 95:1-2 NIV
When we are low it can be hard to express anything much less praise. Giving glory to God can free our hearts to sing. Just like energy begets energy, praise can beget praise. We can use this time to thank the Lord for the life of the person we miss and watch how He blesses our hearts with their memories. God knows how much we miss them and He is there to lace the memories with His love. Jesus understands how we feel. He wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus.
We Can Find God’s Joy in His Word
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16 NIV
Jeremiah was referred to as the “weeping prophet”. His life was one of complete service to God and he experienced a lot of persecution. On the surface it would seem to be a bleak existance but the verse above shows love for God and His Word. If Jeremiah through all of his distress could receive joy from God’s Word, shouldn’t we?
“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” Psalm 119:111 NIV
Here is the witness of another man of God. David, in Psalm 119 speaks of the many qualities of God’s Word. He too found God’s joy in the Bible.
Find God’s Joy in Obedience
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:9-11 NIV
Many times we look on obeying as chains that bind us. In Christ that is not so. When we come to Christ for our salvation, we realize that we want to obey because we love him, not out of fear. There is joy in living according to Jesus Christ and it is never a burden to follow His lead.
We will find as we walk with the Lord there are many benefits. Obeying the Lord not only brings spiritual advantages but it can protect physically by teaching us to stay away from practices that are harmful.
Find God’s Joy in the Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
In Galatians, Paul describes what the Holy Spirit produces in the Christian’s life. In that list we see “joy”. Joy is a part of the Christian life and is an expression when we are walking in Christ. We can experience God’s joy just by knowing our Savior. It is a by product of our faith.
This is what Kelly Wise Valdes says about joy, “The most important attribute of joy is that you can find joy in adversity. This can be a difficult idea to grasp, because joy might be the last thing we are feeling when facing struggles. God knows our sorrows, heartaches and fears and He calls us to rejoice anyway. He wants us to live a life full of joy and promise.” ospreyobserver.com
We Can Find God’s Joy in Answered Prayer
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 1 John 5: 14-15 NIV
We know that God answers our prayers but not always in the way we want. I had a paricular request for someone dear to me and God’s answer brought sheer joy to my heart. Praying in the midst of our problems and asking for God’s joy can change our outlook and bring comfort to us.
Find God’s Joy in Nature
“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, You call forth songs of joy.” Psalm 65:8 NIV
How often do we walk in and out of nature and are oblivous to it. The world that God created is a masterpiece of beauty. We’re reminded of this more when we are traveling in an area that we are not accustom to viewing. As we walk outside, we need to stop and appreciate what the Lord has given to us. When I take the time, my heart is always uplifted by the world around me. This provide a moment of joy and thanksgiving in an otherwise sad time. It’s okay, this is part of being alive.
We Can Find God’s Joy in Our Circumstances
“sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich, having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:10 NIV
“In truth, Paul insists that they are always rejoicing, that they have made many rich, and that they possess everything. These words do not deny the reality of earthly circumstances. He has indeed experienced great sorrow in his work for Christ on several occasions (2 Corinthians 2:1–3; Romans 9:2; Philippians 2:27). He has certainly lived in poverty as a travelling missionary (1 Corinthians 4:11). Still, Paul describes how viewing his life and work from spiritual perspective points to greater truth.” bibleref.com
God Restores Joy
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12 NIV
God is always there ready to bring joy into our lives. Emotions can be like a roller coaster, up and down according to what is going on and are not reliable. God knows that we are weak and He is able to sustain us through our trials.
“For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place.” 1 Chronicles 16:26-27 NIV
God is above all gods and there is no other God beside Him. He is powerful and capable to help us heal in our difficult situations. Trust and give it all to Him.
Please leave a comment if you have something to add and if you need prayer, please let us know.
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