“Are you happy?”
That was the question asked in frustration by my then husband as he stood in my room one night six months before our divorce was final. What I once thought was a good marriage, certainly with room for improvement, but good, had been systematically destroyed by lies, the unhealthy influence of others, and infidelity.
I wanted to give him a thoughtful, yet honest answer. “Yes, I am,” I replied. “Very! I am not happy about the state of our marriage, but I have a joy this situation cannot touch.”
There are many blessings for those of us who have made Christ our Lord and Savior, blessings which have implication and impact in our daily lives. Because they originate in the transcendent King of Kings, these blessings are sacrosanct, absolute; incapable of being surpassed by our gladdest day, incapable of being overwhelmed by our darkest night. One of those blessings is joy.
How do you define joy? Is it a state of bliss? A good mood brought on by denial of reality? Perhaps the better question to ask is: how does God define joy?
There isn’t one scripture that specifies a concrete definition of what joy is, but there is plenty we can understand from what the scriptures do tell us about joy. For example:
- God is the source of joy (Galatians 5:22).
- The Lord’s joy furnishes us with fortitude and resilience (Nehemiah 8:10 ).
- Joy is found in and sustained by God’s presence (1 Chronicles 16:26-27, Psalm 16:11).
- Joy helps us focus on the best that is to come (1 Peter 1:8-9).
- God rewards us with joy when we obey Him (Proverbs 10:28).
- Joy is a choice that can be made despite our circumstances (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
- Life’s challenges give us the opportunity to experience joy (James 1:2-3),
Given these, and many other Bible passages, I would define joy as a supernatural sense of soul-satisfaction and contentment based on the goodness and faithfulness of God alone. Joy is both a gift of God and a deliberate choice. Joy is a choice to be content based on the immutable facts that God is real, His word is true, and His plans for us are good. God is redemptive. He redeems both souls and circumstances. He uses everything for our good, His purpose, and His glory . . . especially our trials.
What we discover through the trials of the people we encounter when we engage with Scripture and what we may discover in our own trial is that God is at work in our lives at all times. My trial, although not initiated by God, was used by our loving Father to rid me self-centered, rather than Christ-centered, living. Because of what I experienced, and learned, I emerged a clearer reflection of Jesus Christ. I didn’t like going through it, I didn’t want it, and I needed to heal from it, but I was able to rejoice in it because the outcome was worth the struggle.
God is, and He does what He is. He is good, and He does good. Therefore, you and I can respond to the affairs of life with a joy that is pure and defiant in the face of despair. We cannot manufacture this joy, it is solely the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, but we can posture our hearts to receive and experience the fullness of joy.
If you are struggling to know God’s joy, try the steps below to prepare your heart.
- Ask: Paul writes in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” God wants to fill your life with peace, joy in the Holy Spirit, and being right with God (Romans 14:17); you need only ask Him. Pour out your need for Him, your desire, your hope. Jesus can handle the weight of our desperation.
- Believe in and Trust Jesus: There is God’s common grace at work in the world, principles that work irrespective of one’s relationship with the Lord, like rain that helps your garden grow, or the natural grace and agility of athletes. Then there is saving grace, which comes with benefits set aside for those who have made Jesus Christ Lord and Savior of their lives, like joy. If you have not accepted His free gift of salvation, I encourage you to reach out to God Hears Her or to a church or to a trusted friend who believes in Jesus. We would be more than happy to help you understand the gospel message and pray with you.
- Set aside time with the Lord, as much as possible: When we were building our home, I claimed a room, in which I really enjoy sitting in, to commune with the Lord in the mornings. I have also learned to turn to Him periodically in my day. Ask Him to help you prioritize time with Him; look for pockets of time in your schedule, wake up earlier, go to sleep later, turn off the radio when you’re driving in the car, take five minutes during your kids’ nap time, worship while you load the dishwasher. Do whatever is necessary to be with the Lord.
- Spend time in the Word of God. Not only is Scripture an opportunity to know about God, it is an opportunity to know God. It is the primary way in which He has decided to make Himself known. Knowing God will lead you to joy.
- Be around people who are joyful. Joy is infectious, and those who are strengthened by it will in turn strengthen others.
- Make praise and thanksgiving a habit: Be thankful to God and others. Take note of the reasons you have to be joyful.
- Embrace the process. The paradox of salvation is that we are both already perfect in Christ and being perfected as we work out our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Joy will not prevent anger, weariness, irritation, or any normal reaction to life’s struggles. Joy does not exclude reactions, but it does govern responses.
- Notice and appreciate how you are responding differently to challenges: Are you worrying less? Do you more quickly give over cares to our Heavenly Father? That is evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in your life. Pay attention and thank God for the changes you are noticing.
- Obey God: There is great joy to be experienced when we obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our love for God is best expressed through obedience (John 14:15). He takes delight in our obedience (1 Samuel 15:22), and His delight spills over into our hearts sparking joy.
- Trust that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life: Christ’s Spirit lives inside every believer, producing the life of Christ as evidenced by increasing measures of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. The life of Christ in you was begun by the Spirit of God and will be completed by the Spirit of God (Philippians 1:6).
Although my answer enraged my former spouse, I was stunned with realization. Our seventeen-year marriage had unraveled, and yet, a most wondrous happening had occurred. A secret well of deep satisfaction and contentment had sprung up in my life even as I endured the most painful circumstances I had ever confronted. I had learned to lean more heavily on the Lord than I ever had before and knew with a certainty beyond comprehension, because I am His and He is mine, I had joy . . . I have joy . . . I will have joy. And for that, I would go through it all over again.
—Written by Cheryl Shumake. Used by permission from the author.
