Joy No Matter What
“Hab 3:17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.”
“1 Thess 5:16 Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. “
One of the primary themes that arises from the book of Habakuk is that the righteous shall live by faith. We can either shake our fists in anger towards God during the midst of a storm, or we can bow down on our knees, thanking God for His safekeeping thus far.
In the midst of the storm, why not try turning to Scripture? Read Ps 27, Ps 91, Is 55:12, Jer 29:11, and Rom 8:28 for encouragement. (Try looking at these scriptures in an Amplified Bible for added benefit.)
Singing praises to God in times of difficulty not only produces joy in the singer, but it is also a witness of God’s faithfulness to all who hear. Such an attitude is pleasing to God.
Do you see a pattern developing here? “Though there are no sheep in the pen…yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” If you can’t rejoice for what He has given you, rejoice for Who He is. If your distress is too much to bear, and you simply cannot find joy, tell Him that, too (He knows anyway.) If you want to develop hind’s feet that will carry you above the storm clouds, then you must learn to rely on the strength of the Lord. If you can’t trust anyone else in this world, you can trust Him.
Reliance on Jesus does not grow stronger in the good times, but during the storms.
Our Father desires that we live in joy, but what happens when we lose that joy?
John 10: 10 says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. “
Satan knows he cannot steal our salvation, so what has he come to steal? Our joy! If Satan can steal our joy, then he can kill our enthusiasm and destroy our witness. That’s a pretty good victory for someone described in scripture as the father of lies.
You can’t think of any sin that would have caused you to lose your joy? Then go before God and ask Him for a revelation. You might just get a glimpse of whatever has separated you from God, because that’s what sin does. But when the Cross bridged the gap between sinful man and a Holy God, a way was made for reconciliation.
Admittedly, joy is sometimes lost because the burdens we bear are overwhelming, and joy seems to be the first casualty. We may not have control over all of the circumstances in our life, but we do have control over how we react to those circumstances. Do you feel like crying? Try singing, instead. Do you feel like giving up? Try giving of yourself to someone worse off than you. Joy is easier to keep and harder to lose if we share it with others.
Summary
- Joy is a grace gift grown during storms.
- Joy can be yours regardless of circumstances.
- Joy is increased through singing praises to God for His great mercies.
- Joy can only produce joy.
- Storms both reveal and produce character.
- Joy can be lost, but it can also be found again.
- Repentance restores joy.
May we seek joy, today and every day, and may we remember the source of our joy.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Be Exalted
Psalms 57:1-5 (NIV)
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
4 I am in the midst of lions.
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
Hiding from the Storm
One of the scariest elements of storms is the difficulty in predicting how long they will last. A flash storm can produce flooding that can be more dangerous than the storm itself. Or what about a family member or acquaintance who has a flash temper, the effects from which can be more fatal than from nature’s storm.
When David wrote Psalm 57, he was on the run from Saul, hiding in a cave. David, God’s chosen and the future king of Israel, sought shelter in a dark, damp cave. But may I direct your attention not to where he was, nor even why he was there? Look, instead, at how he spent his time.
First, he asks God for mercy. David could have pled for Saul’s mercy, but Saul was fighting his own demons. So David bows before the most high God, the One who had proven Himself to have the quality of mercy time and again. You see, when you are in the midst of the storm you need an established ally, one who has shown His faithfulness.
Then, David lifts up high praises to the One, True and living God. Be exalted, Oh God, above the heavens! If we would only follow David’s example when the storm clouds gather!
May we keep a song of praise in our hearts and on our lips so that even in hiding we can have joy unspeakable and full of glory.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Singing in the Storm
Today we continue looking at joy. How can we experience joy when storms are swirling around us? First, we need to remember that joy is a fruit of the spirit. We do not create joy, but we can engender the supernatural gift within us to remedy our reaction to storms. Let’s look at one of our reactions when we are in storms:
We can:
Run from the Storm
Jonah 1:4-10 (NIV) 4 Then the lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 THE captain went to him and said, “how can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
7 Then the sailors said to each other, “come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. ”
10 This terrified them and they asked, “what have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord because he had already told them so.)
Did you know how difficult it is to outrun storms? Regardless of what we do, the storms seem unrelenting, particularly if they are sent by God.
Jonah ‘s storm was supernatural in origin and in proportion. The reaction of the crew on board the ship was initially to look to the physical, lightening the load to give the ship more stability. When that failed, they determined the cause of the storm was Jonah, so off he went into the waters.
Jonah, recognizing his dilemma, began to remember who God is. So Jonah prayed.
Jonah 2:2 (NIV) “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.”
Did Jonah sing during the storm? We are not given that information, but if we examine the entirety of Jonah’s prayer it is very reminiscent of a psalm, and psalms were written to be sung.
Jonah made his confession before God, repented, received forgiveness, was restored to a right relationship with God, and then praised God for His mercy and His faithfulness. So did Jonah sing during the storm? How could he not?
May we remember Jonah the next time we are in the storms of life, and may we sing a psalm, or perhaps one of the hymns of the church like “Love Lifted Me.”
Stay with us over the next few days as we continue looking at how joy can change our response to storms.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sing for Joy
Psalms 95:1-7 (NIV) 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Psalms 16:7-11 (NIV) 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
During our last devotional, we learned that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It is not the same as happiness, which is related to our circumstances. Instead, joy emanates from deep within our being and is a product of our relationship with God. I suggested if you have lost your joy to search out scriptures promising joy and read them out loud.
After reading the scriptures, pray over them. Thank God for His Word, that is ever faithful, and ever true.
We can see that David sang when he had joy, and he sang when he needed joy. Paul instructed the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.
Do you see a theme here?
A number of yeas ago I wrote the following poem about joy and about the power of our words. I pray today’s devotion will enable you to seek a deep joy.
Speak Joy, Hope and Love
Out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks. Our dreams and schemes, the
essence of what we believe is portrayed,
or sometimes betrayed, by our words.
If you lack joy, but want it, must have it,
speak joy and let the seeds of joy be
planted deep within your heart. Let
your heart speak joy.
If you lack hope, but want it, need it,
cannot live without it, speak hope and
let hope find a resting place within your
heart. Let your heart speak hope.
If you lack love, but know that without
it your heart will surely shrivel and
die, speak love, show love, be all about love. Let
your heart speak love.
Out of the mouth the abundance of the
heart speaks. Speak joy, speak hope,
speak love.
May the God of our salvation pour abundant joy upon you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sing for Joy
Psalms 95:1-7 (NIV) 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Psalms 16:7-11 (NIV) 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
During our last devotional, we learned that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It is not the same as happiness, which is related to our circumstances. Instead, joy emanates from deep within our being and is a product of our relationship with God. I suggested if you have lost your joy to search out scriptures promising joy and read them out loud.
After reading the scriptures, pray over them. Thank God for His Word, that is ever faithful, and ever true.
We can see that David sang when he had joy, and he sang when he needed joy. Paul instructed the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.
Do you see a theme here?
A number of yeas ago I wrote the following poem about joy and about the power of our words. I pray today’s devotion will enable you to seek a deep joy.
Speak Joy, Hope and Love
Out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks. Our dreams and schemes, the
essence of what we believe is portrayed,
or sometimes betrayed, by our words.
If you lack joy, but want it, must have it,
speak joy and let the seeds of joy be
planted deep within your heart. Let
your heart speak joy.
If you lack hope, but want it, need it,
cannot live without it, speak hope and
let hope find a resting place within your
heart. Let your heart speak hope.
If you lack love, but know that without
it your heart will surely shrivel and
die, speak love, show love, be all about love. Let
your heart speak love.
Out of the mouth the abundance of the
heart speaks. Speak joy, speak hope,
speak love.
May the God of our salvation pour outshine joy upon you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 