The Joy of the Lord

We are told in Scripture that the joy of the lord is our strength and also that God desires that we may be full of joy (John 16:24). So, putting these two things together, we could say that the Lord wants our joy to be full so that we may be strong in him. So, how does our life become one which is full of joy? I think that many of us go through life something less than joyful. More in survival mode than thriving in Christ.

I must confess that for some time now, the joy in my life has come in fleeting glimpses, just enough to keep me pushing through, but not enough to give me strength. I have often paused to wonder why. Every once in a while I would stop to consider what I needed to do in order to obtain the elusive, ‘joy of the Lord’ that I wanted so desperately. I have searched high and low, only to fall at the end exhausted from trying so hard. It seemed like the more I became a living sacrifice, the further away from any resemblance of joy I felt.

Over the past few months, the Lord has been at work in my heart and he has shown me something that I used to know very well.

There is a subtle deception that takes place in our lives, one where we start out to please the Lord with sincerity of heart, simply because it’s an honor to serve him. However, over the course of time, somehow it gets turned into our thinking that our fellowship with God is based on what we do. If we ever stop doing those good things that he asks of us: if we ever stop sacrificing, stop giving, stop going, then we feel separated from him (and heaven forbid if we ever sin). We become caught in a trap, where we think that we must continue to do, to submit, to push through, or that feeling of fellowship goes away, and with it any chance of finding joy (or peace for that matter).

The joy of the lord cannot be obtained by doing, it can only be found in being. If the joy tanks are low, then he is ready to fill them, he is not withholding his joy from our lives, it is us who build religious walls and then hide behind them wondering why we feel separated.

The wall is of our own making. We built it in his name, but he never asked for it, in fact, what he wants is just the opposite. If you would like to know what the joy of the Lord is like, then, in the words of Jesus, come and see… you will not be left disappointed.

Brian Dodson