The Joy Of The Lord Is Our Strength

"for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh 8:10b ESV)

What is Joy? Is it an emotion, feeling, or a state of mind? Is it the result of pursuing happiness?

INTRODUCTION

We have all experienced joy and want more of it. We have shouted and smiled in delight upon hearing good news about our health or a loved one, accomplishing something meaningful, etc. Surprisingly, there are no explicit theories or research that explain what prompts this kind of deep joy. Most people associate joy with good experiences, relationships, or objects.

The word 'joy' is found over 150 times in the Bible. If words such as "joyous" and "joyful" are included, the number comes to over 200. Its usage is overwhelming spiritual in context. Several Greek and Hebrew words are used in the Bible to convey the ideas of joy. The word 'joy' in the Bible is synonymous with the English words such as happiness, pleasure, delight, gladness, merriment, felicity, and enjoyment.

The Greek word for 'joy' used in the New Testament is 'chara' and defined as a constant and stable emotional excitement, gladness, and delight over blessings personally received or expected for others. It is far more profound than emotional experience because it is rooted in God and comes directly from Him as a by-product of exercising trusting-faith (Psalm 30:11; Rom 14:17, 15:13; Phil 1:25).

Joy is both a divine and human emotion. The Triune God is represented in the Old Testament as susceptible to pleasure and pain and not as a rigid, impervious Being. Joy comes with His presence (1 Chron 16:27; Job 22:21-26; Psalm 9:2; 16:5-11). In the New Testament, His presence is identified as the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52; Rom 15:13; Gal 5:22; Eph 5:18-19; 1 Thess 1:6). God may be conceived of as "rejoicing in his works" and over His people "for good" (Psalm 104:31; compare Gen 1:31; Deut 30:9).

"He will rejoice over thee (Zion) with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing" (Zeph 3:17 KJV).

I have come to understand joy as an enduring and underlying sense of something that is deeper than the emotion of happiness. It involves what holds ultimate significance in our life and is something a person can practice, cultivate, and even make a habit. It is an enduring virtue of deep delight that involves our thoughts, feelings, and actions in response to what matters most and brings meaning to our lives, continuously motivating and directing us.

God wants us to know joy as He knows it (Psalm 104:31; Isa 65:18). Joy is a response to His written Word, His reward to us, and our strength (Psalm 119:14; Isa 65:14; Neh 8:10). It is the fruit of a right relationship with Him. It is not something people can create by their efforts.

The Bible distinguishes joy from pleasure. The Greek word for 'pleasure' is the word from where we get the word 'hedonism' which is the philosophy of self-centered pleasure-seeking (Eccl 2:1-11; Titus 3:3; 1 Tim 5:6). The Bible refers to false teachers as "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Tim 3:4).

Throughout the Bible, spiritual joy is expressed by the metaphors of feasting, marriage, victory in military endeavors, and successful financial undertakings. The joy of the harvest is used to describe the final victory of the Born-Again Christian over their adversaries (Psalm 126:5-6). The Messiah's coming is characterized by the joy of the harvest and dividing up captured military plunder (Isa 9:2-7).

The Old Testament descriptions for joy are carried over into the New. The birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, was an occasion of joy (Luke 1:14). Shepherds hearing the news of the birth of the Christ was an occasion for great joy for all people (Luke 2:10). The Magi were "overjoyed" when they found the infant Jesus (Matt 2:10). Later on, Jesus joins the joys of marriage and spiritual ones by describing John the Baptist's reaction to His coming as the joy (Gk: chara) of the friend of the bridegroom (John 3:29-30). The Disciples returned with great joy after the ascension of Jesus (Luke 24:52).

THE FOUNDATION OF JOY

"He that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God." (1 John 4:16 KJV)

God is love (Gk: agape) and is the foundation of joy. God's agape love is unconditional, intense, passionate, committed, enthusiastic, tender, and devoted to the good and well-being of another, wanting only the best for them. The genuine joy of agape love is impossible to manifest without the working of the Holy Spirit in a person's heart. There are two kinds of joy - natural and spiritual.

Natural Joy

Natural joy does not always come naturally, especially when faced with such challenges as a global pandemic, national unrest, financial hardships, and strained relationships. We must focus on those things, activities, relationships, and beliefs that are life-giving as we learn to make joy a habit.