“Rejoice always… give thanks in all circumstances.”
-1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18
Joy is a feeling of good pleasure, having a high-spirited delight and thankfulness in life that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes joy when used as a noun with the following synonyms: beatitude, blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, felicity, gladness, happiness, and warm fuzziness. As a verb, it means to feel or express joy or triumph, and is expressed in synonyms such as crow, delight, exuberate, exult, glory, jubilate, rejoice and triumph.
What does it mean to have joy in a Biblical context?
There are 167 verses with 172 references to joy in the Bible. There is much to be said about joy. What are our sources of joy? At the beginning of the Bible, we find the creation story, which is marked by the phrase “it is good”. We can therefore conclude that creation brings us joy.
The Psalmist describes it as follows: “You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance. The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness.” (Psalms 65:11-12)
We can find joy in: “He causes the grass to grow for the livestock, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may produce food out of the earth: wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengthens man’s heart.” (Psalms 104:14-15)
Or at a wedding: “the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, ‘Give thanks to Yahweh of Armies, for Yahweh is good, for his loving kindness endures forever;’ who bring thanksgiving into Yahweh’s house. For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed as at the first,” says Yahweh. (Jeremiah 33:11)
Or in our children: “The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him. Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice!” (Proverbs 23:24-25)
How do we achieve joy?
How do we achieve joy, especially if we consider that we live in a world that has been corrupted? The world we live in is marked by our selfishness. We are surrounded by death and loss.
This is why we need Biblical faith. When we have faith we come to realise that our joy is not in our circumstances but rather in God’s promises and His love for us. We see this as a golden thread right through the Bible.
From the Israelites who sang songs of joy whilst on the run from the Egyptians and being surrounded by a desert. This is later remembered by the Psalmist: “He brought his people out with joy, his chosen with singing.” (Psalms 105:43). This means that one can find joy in the wilderness amidst your struggles as you know where your future destiny is.
Isaiah carries this theme onward looking forward to the day that they will return to Zion and be free of the many oppressors: “Those ransomed by Yahweh will return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy shall be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 51:11)
Anticipation
It is in the waiting that one has to decide to wait in joy with anticipation of what is promised to come. We can see it being fulfilled in Jesus’ birth: “The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
Jesus himself showed us how to be joyful: “In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.” (Luke 10:21)
He follows this with: “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
After Jesus’ resurrection, he commanded his followers: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20). We should therefore teach them to do all Jesus has commanded and do so with joy.
Even in the face of persecution: “The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:52). Paul said he has joy in faith: “Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, that your rejoicing may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.” (Philippians 1:25-26)
He also makes it clear that his joy is in the Lord: “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.” (Philippians 3:1). He saw it as a sign of Jesus’ presence in his life. This brings hope in the middle of hardships. Paul is in no way saying we must bury our sorrows. He says: “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Corinthians 6:10)
The Challenge
It is clear then that we need to make a choice to trust God in whatever state we find ourselves in as the place we find ourselves in is not the final state of our affairs. People will often say: “Turn that frown upside down”, such hollow advice if one would rather remember that our Christian joy is much more profound as it is a decision that is marked by faith and hope in the power of Jesus as seen in His own life and love for us.
Conclusion
In the words of King Solomon (the wisest man ever to live): “Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. Let your garments be always white, and don’t let your head lack oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity: for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7-9)
Rejoice in today, tomorrow has been promised to no one. See Bible Project’s amazing video clip on Joy below.
