The joy of the lord
- Praise Olorunosebi
- Jan 9, 2023
- 5 min read
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”
Galatians 5:22 NLT
That fruit of the spirit called Joy. While studying the bible something struck me about having Joy. Why is this so special? I will start by defining what joy is; the dictionary defines joy to be" a feeling of great pleasure and happiness".
To Rick Warren: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.”
Happiness and joy are two separate things. Happiness, in psychology ," is a state of emotional Well-being that a person experiences either in a narrow sense, when good things happen in a specific moment, or more broadly, as a positive evaluation of one’s life and accomplishments overall—that is, subjective well-being".
To me their greatest disparity is the fact that joy comes from the lord and happiness comes from an experience, a temporary event, achievements and so on. Happiness can waver because we are not happy all the time but joy cannot waver. You don't have to always be a happy person to have joy. Joy comes from within and from the heart and it's peaceful. That joy that Jesus endured the cross with, that gave him strength.
“looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2 KJV
I like the fact joy and peace are put side by side in Galatians because I feel the two go hand in hand when you have joy you automatically will have peace.
Let's look at this example in the bible in Nehemiah chapter 8 let me just give a brief summary of what had happen: After a 70-year exile in Babylon, Nehemiah restored Jerusalem's walls and a large number of Israelites came home. On the first day of their new year (the feast of trumpets), the renegade people of Israel gathered in the city square to hear Ezra the priest recite the Scriptures. He did so using the book of the Law that Israel had received from God.
This country realized how far they had strayed from their God as they listened to God's Word being read to them. Oh, indeed, at first, they began to exult and called out "AMEN, AMEN," but as Ezra read from the Scriptures, they began to realize how far they had strayed from the truth of God's Word and how deeply they had fallen into sin, and both men and women started to cry and grieve terribly.
But Nehemiah said something that changed everything he said this is a sacred day of the lord and they should not mourn and he went on to say:
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Nehemiah 8:10 NLT
The joy of the lord is our strength!
That statement alone has given me so much encouragement. Yes we have entered a new year we all entered screaming, shouting and dancing Happy New Year but some people don't feel that joy. Some people entered the year hating their jobs and having to go back to it brings sadness. Some entered jobless saying how do I survive without a job this year. Some people have been stagnant with no promotion for the past 5-10 years and so on. I am writing this blog to encourage you that God is in control. I read somewhere that joy is a choice and it's a fruit of the spirit which we can ask for. I like the fact Nehemiah equated joy to strength because joy gives strength it makes you strong, it makes you not give up, it makes you happy, it makes you believe even when things are not going the way you want it to.
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Psalms 30:5 NLT
Joy is full and satisfying, you can never have half joy or incomplete joy. Joy is always complete.
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
John 15:11 KJV
Where there is joy there's Gods presence and the presence of God brings blessings.
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalm 16:11 KJV
God has told us to rejoice always.
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Philippians 4:4 KJV
Do not let the devil steal your joy.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 KJV
The devil knows once he steals your joy, he has gotten you because if joy is not in your heart you will have unbelief and as Christians we are to trust God and believe in him and this also gives the devil chance to put negative thoughts and feelings like depression, anxiety, worry and so on but if there is joy all these will disappear.
In summary, we are to keep asking God for joy just like David prayed:
“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Psalm 51:12 KJV
Because we will face a lot of obstacles in life the more we ask for joy the more it will give us strength especially at work and as a career lady myself I know that joy is very vital to keep you going each day.
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labor of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Habakkuk 3:17-18 KJV
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