Joy of the Lord

In the past couple weeks I have become increasingly aware of the joy of the Lord and my need

for it. It began with the lyrics of a song we sang in worship. I had repeated the phrase so many

times in practice that it stirred in me a desire to better understand its meaning. That phrase is:

The joy of the Lord is my strength. How do I get strength from the Lord’s joy? And what is

that joy anyway? Where is it? How do I attain it?

I began as I typically do by looking up the verse in the Bible and then going to Blue Letter Bible

to find the Hebrew word for it. That sentence is part of Nehemiah 8:10. The Hebrew word for

strength is mā`ôz.

I was struck by the idea that the joy of the Lord was a place... a fortified place at that! A place of

safety, protection, and refuge.

So it seems to me that we can sit in the safety and security of the Lord's joy toward us and

abide or remain there... safe and secure. That then gives us a confidence and strength from

which to move each day. To me, that ties into John 15:11 "I have told you this so that my joy

may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

I sat in that revelation for several days. I was kind of excited that I could go to joy and soak it in

and even begin my day in joy if I would choose to do that. How different would the days be and

what shift would there be in my relationships if I began each day in joy? Not my joy but the

Lord’s joy. Is it really possible to do that...to start each day from joy? And my thoughts went

from there.

I began looking at verses that speak of His delight toward us, of being the apple of His eye, of

being His handiwork... considering that because we are in Jesus, God is constantly filled with

joy toward us.

To me, considering that God is joyful toward me is even more impactful than considering His

love at this moment. I have seen my earthly dad be angry with me even though he loves me

still. I have never seen him remain joyful in those times.

We are the joy set before Him and the pearl of great price. And His joy toward us is all about

Him, not about us or our actions. His joy is a place of security. We can rest and remain securely

in His joy, because like Him, it is unchanging. And then from there we can move confidently and

from a position of strength.

Joy is listed right behind love in the fruit of the Spirit which makes me think it’s important. And I

think joy is an expression of God’s love. In the past I have kind of skipped over joy (thinking it

either inconsequential or not-for-now or too pie-in-the-sky to attain) and moved straight to

peace. I always wanted more peace... when what I really needed was more order....

And now that I’m considering it, I wonder if all the things behind joy in the list of fruit come easier

if we move from a place of joy in the Lord. It’s easier to be kind and gentle and peaceable and

patient with people when we are filled with joy.

Woo! I just tossed a lot of ideas at you all at once. I hope you take some time to ponder them,

do some digging for yourself, and come back next time to continue diving into the goodness of

joy.

Joy photo credits: Hannah Paulsen