DO CHRISTIANS HAVE A CHRISTIAN VIEW OF JOY? July 21, 2014
If we’re going to knowjoy, we have to know what it is and where it comes from. The world’s viewof joy ranges from buying the right soft drink in order to transform your lifeto a more thoughtful view of a good life coming from family, comforts, andaccomplishments.
Contrast this decent sounding view of joy with Habakkuk’sresponse when he heard God would bring comprehensive disaster on Israel. Keep in mind that he loved his country and was shocked to hear of the scale ofthe coming judgment.
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit beon the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flockbe cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoicein the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk3:17-18)
That doesn’t sound as if joy was dependent oncircumstances. As Paul said, “I have learned in whatever situation I amto be content.”
Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet, yet he said, “Yourwords were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and thedelight of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16a)
In the Psalms, David repeatedly states he has joy. Given the backdrop of Saul trying to kill David and David’s homelessness andexile, this is striking.
In John 15 Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you,that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Keep in mindthat he will then tell his Apostles that the world will hate them.
Nehemiah encourages his fellow rebuilders of Jerusalem by tellingthem, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” So often we’ve reversedit. We think joy comes from some strength we have in circumstance.
Don’t fall into the trap of putting prominent peoplementioned in the Bible in a different category from yourself. Paul toldthe Thessalonians, “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for youreceived the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so thatyou became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” (1Thessalonians 1:6-7 ESV)
Once again, joy from God in the middle of trial. Ifyou look through the Bible for references to joy, no good joy seems to comedisconnected from God. What we see is joy from the Kingdom, Jesus’arrival, the Word, God’s rewards to his servants, Jesus’ resurrection,repentant sinners.