The Heart of Joy

Joy—do you neglect this fruit of the Spirit like I do? Jesus has spoken to my heart, challenging me to a life of greater joy. It’s a hard word for me, I will admit it. He knows that. So, He gives me days to breathe, converse with Him, relax, be, rest, recuperate from sorrows—and yes, to summon joy to my heart little by little. Just as He kindly challenges me, He also provides the means for me to look to Him and receive the joy that He gives. As bits of joy appear in my life like little stars of glory, I start to wonder what it would look like for my joy to be full and radiant!

What does misplaced joy look like in your life?

You see, my joy is often misplaced. It hides under my listless feelings, under lack of motivation. It hides under my anger that fallenness is the way of the world. It hides. And, I have to go looking for it again—to call it up into my felt experience. I can often have a make-it-through mentality. But Jesus encourages me to strive for joy while I am enduring. My slow progress with His call to joy in my life allows my growth to be a blessing, not a burden. Oh, how Jesus works kindly with us—step-by-step!

Does your joy hide? Or, is your joy misplaced in another sense—taking joy in the world that fades and disappoints? Perhaps you’d like to take a moment to reflect on joy in your life.

I want to look at joy with you today, from multiple angles. And, I want the scriptural passages we will examine to provide pathways for great joy in your life and mine! Let’s look at the joy of God both in us and in obedience (Jesus to the Father)—and what God’s joy means for our joy. And then, let’s consider some exquisite passages in Scripture on eternal joy.

How/when does God express joy in the Bible?

God expresses joy when thinking of us, His people. Can you take this to heart with me? Consider this verse about His delight in and longing for His redeemed:

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

The Creator of all—the Ruler, Sustainer, Redeemer, and King of glory—He delights in us. You and I bring Him joy. Let me repeat that: you and I bring God joy. Is this not a beautiful, foundational pathway for joy into our own hearts? Believe this reality, and it will change your life, I promise you. Your self-perception will change for the brighter. You attitude toward others will evolve in a blessed way as you see God’s joy in them. Your joy in God will increase because He has initiated this relationship of joy with you.

The burdens of life will feel less of a weight when you come to understand the eternal gift that your God takes pleasure in you. You may have difficulty believing this truth because you so identify with being a sinner, but don’t neglect to consider yourself redeemed by God and strive to receive His joy in you.

What is another joy experienced by God? It is a trinitarian joy: the Son gave His obedience to the Father in love. Jesus was faithful to the Father—even faithful to death (Hebrews 12:2). And this obedience brought Jesus such a high joy that He wants this same flavor of joy to be in us:

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:10-11).

Have you come to the landmark in your spiritual journey that experiences great joy in the obedience that you can have toward God? Do you have joy at the faithfulness to God you have exhibited in the dark nights of your soul? Do you know that your own faithfulness to God ought to bring you great and full joy? It is not a joy of self-promotion, but a joy of purpose and meaning.

What greater joy could there be than showing love to God, your Maker, and knowing that He is pleased with you? That is why Scripture encourages us to count it a joy when we go through trials (James 1:2-3). For, high obedience (like in life-altering trials) brings high pleasure from God and in turn yields high joy in us that He is pleased.

Jesus wants this joy in us to be full. Don’t discount your times of obedience or toss them aside; take joy in them before God. They are worthy of glory—and are making you steadfast and strong until then—and that is wonderful truth.

God experiences joy in His redeemed people, and Jesus experienced joy in obedience to the Father. Do you experience God’s joys in you—have you received His rejoicing over you and the joy of pleasing Him?

How can you express joy the way God intended you to?

Another joy we have is simply and blessedly the promise of eternal joy. Scripture expresses it with beautiful description:

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:10).

Scripture speaks of a kind of joy that will make sorrow and mourning disappear. They will fade into oblivion. But singing, pleasure, gladness will be our wardrobe—we as though clothed with these special gifts.

Joy here on earth is an expression of the promise of future joy. The more confidence we have that this joy will be our eternal reality, the better we are at expressing joy right now.

Jesus teaches through the Scriptures in Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The end result of our redeemed life is joy and pleasure. Eternal joy is not merely some joy—it is fullness of joy. And the pleasure we can expect is not merely for a time—but pleasure everlasting.

It is the eternal joy and pleasure of seeing and dwelling with Jesus in glory that has impact on us now:

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

Jesus is the joy of eternity. Joy in this life derived from thoughts of eternity would be impossible without Jesus Himself. He is the true source of our happiness, even though we do not see Him yet—even though He has not yet wiped the tears from our eyes. We can believe and rejoice that His presence in our lives is our great good.

Sometimes, however, the joy of eternity does not translate into joy in this life. And it is at this juncture that Jesus speaks to me, challenging me faithfully: Where is your joy today? Where is your joy that I am with you and impress my truths upon your heart? Where is your joy in my presence? He offers these questions as a faithful Friend to my spirit, offering to fill me with His truth.

My misplaced joy is a hiding joy. It is found in drudge-through-this-life and wish-I-could-go-straight-to-glory hiding places. What about yours? Is your joy hiding or placed in the world?

Try taking one of these routes to true joy in your life today:

• Take joy that God has such pleasure in you that He rejoices over you with singing
• Take joy that Jesus was obedient to death for you
• Take joy that you have been obedient to God and He is glad about it
• Take joy that that you are promised an eternity of full joy and pleasure
• Take joy that even though you do not see Jesus here, you have Him now and always

Start with sparks of joy and see what grows from there. Ultimately, here or in eternity, may our joy be blazing like fire for Him who has given so much to and for us in His obedience to the Father to death. Jesus’ joy-focused obedience to the Father is our greatest joy because it has made a way for us to be blessed by our God, who delights in us, forever.

Lianna is author of Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss (Hope Mommies, 2019). More of her writing can be found at her website.

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