"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is the fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)
How would you define true joy? Is it simply that feeling of internal warmness? Or the sensation that prevents us from showing any expression other than a gigantic smile? Is it as simple as feeling happy or could it possibly be more? If you'll allow me to nerd-out for a moment, Dictionary.com defines joy as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying." But Biblically, joy is not just emotional. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in which we are called to live (Gal. 5:22-26), and the fullness of that joy is found in the presence of God. He is our only real "exceptional good."
One of the most difficult revelations for me was that, although joy often involves good feelings, it is not always equated with my happiness. Happiness is a product of a happening, my circumstances. The root word is a Middle English word "hap," which means "chance" or "good luck." It is the same root as the words "perhaps" or "happenstance." Happiness is a direct effect of my worldly environment. Joy, on the other hand, is a direct effect of the Heavenly environment. Because my joy now comes from Heaven, it becomes a cause in this world rather than an effect. When I choose to be in God's Holy presence, I then learn something new about His nature, about His love, about His grace, about His mercy, and even about His conviction. That is where I find true joy. This may seem obvious, but in order for us to find joy that comes from a Holy place, we must enter into a Holy place.
That's not to say God cannot provide His gift of joy to someone who doesn't seek His presence. Let's not box up the most powerful Being inside or outside this universe. But with a glimpse of something so wonderful, why wouldn't I want more? Entering into the presence of God regularly doesn't just provide a little of this wonderful joy. It allows me to experience it enough to fill up my "joy tank" and live in that gift as long as my tank is full. But just like the gas tank on a car, the joy tank has to be refilled. The more often I experience a full tank of joy, the more often my heart desires that experience. And the more this becomes my desire, the more I want to spill that joy out over everyone around me. This is living in the fullness of God's joy. Living in the fullness of God.
But if joy doesn't alway present in the form of happiness, then how can it cause great delight? Joy can be observed in many forms, not all of which seem wonderful in the moment. Sometimes it manifests as the feeling of a weight lifted as I release a burden to the Father, and sometimes it causes a smile (or even tears) so big that it's impossible to speak. But sometimes God's gracious joy brings conviction and the need for change. Although this doesn't seem delightful in the moment, it is God preparing my life for something joyous that He has for me. Goodness is in the Father's nature, so whether the encounter with Him brings healing and breakthrough or revelation of sin and the need for grace, I have to know that the joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10).
Father, I pray that You will draw everyone of us to You, to spend time in Your presence to experience the fullness of a Holy joy that can only be found with You. Whether it is in worship, the Word or just a silent moment listening for Your whisper, please meet us where we are today so we can fill ourselves with Your joy, and spread it to the worldly environment around us. Amen.
How would you define true joy? Is it simply that feeling of internal warmness? Or the sensation that prevents us from showing any expression other than a gigantic smile? Is it as simple as feeling happy or could it possibly be more? If you'll allow me to nerd-out for a moment, Dictionary.com defines joy as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying." But Biblically, joy is not just emotional. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in which we are called to live (Gal. 5:22-26), and the fullness of that joy is found in the presence of God. He is our only real "exceptional good."
One of the most difficult revelations for me was that, although joy often involves good feelings, it is not always equated with my happiness. Happiness is a product of a happening, my circumstances. The root word is a Middle English word "hap," which means "chance" or "good luck." It is the same root as the words "perhaps" or "happenstance." Happiness is a direct effect of my worldly environment. Joy, on the other hand, is a direct effect of the Heavenly environment. Because my joy now comes from Heaven, it becomes a cause in this world rather than an effect. When I choose to be in God's Holy presence, I then learn something new about His nature, about His love, about His grace, about His mercy, and even about His conviction. That is where I find true joy. This may seem obvious, but in order for us to find joy that comes from a Holy place, we must enter into a Holy place.
That's not to say God cannot provide His gift of joy to someone who doesn't seek His presence. Let's not box up the most powerful Being inside or outside this universe. But with a glimpse of something so wonderful, why wouldn't I want more? Entering into the presence of God regularly doesn't just provide a little of this wonderful joy. It allows me to experience it enough to fill up my "joy tank" and live in that gift as long as my tank is full. But just like the gas tank on a car, the joy tank has to be refilled. The more often I experience a full tank of joy, the more often my heart desires that experience. And the more this becomes my desire, the more I want to spill that joy out over everyone around me. This is living in the fullness of God's joy. Living in the fullness of God.
But if joy doesn't alway present in the form of happiness, then how can it cause great delight? Joy can be observed in many forms, not all of which seem wonderful in the moment. Sometimes it manifests as the feeling of a weight lifted as I release a burden to the Father, and sometimes it causes a smile (or even tears) so big that it's impossible to speak. But sometimes God's gracious joy brings conviction and the need for change. Although this doesn't seem delightful in the moment, it is God preparing my life for something joyous that He has for me. Goodness is in the Father's nature, so whether the encounter with Him brings healing and breakthrough or revelation of sin and the need for grace, I have to know that the joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10).
Father, I pray that You will draw everyone of us to You, to spend time in Your presence to experience the fullness of a Holy joy that can only be found with You. Whether it is in worship, the Word or just a silent moment listening for Your whisper, please meet us where we are today so we can fill ourselves with Your joy, and spread it to the worldly environment around us. Amen.
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