GOD'S BREATH PUBLICATONS

The Joy of the Lord
By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
© April 16, 2010
www.godsbreath.net
Copies of this and other homilies available by sending requests to: mikefarrar@aol.com

Psalms 126:3
“The Lord has done great things for us,
 and we are filled with joy.”

How would you describe the joy of the Lord? Is it like eating a slice of hot apple pie with sweet vanilla ice cream dripping down over the sides? Is it like hugging tightly someone you love that you haven’t seen for a very long time? Is it the feeling a soldier has as he steps off the plane and safely walks on the ground of the country he has risked his life to defend? While these are all experiences that bring joy, they fall far short from describing the joy of the Lord.

The joy of the Lord is found very deep within our soul because it is a result of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The joy of the Lord originates deep within us and like a sweet fragrance it permeates our entire life when it manifests itself.  The joy of the Lord can have many manifestations. You can see it on the faces of people who are worshipping their Heavenly Father. You hear it described in the words of cancer patients who are relying on God to live one more day. You see it in the love expressed as Christians minister to those in need. You perceive it in the tone of voice as someone prays during a struggle or hardship. Many times the joy of the Lord defies description or explanation.

When normally an individual would be overcome with grief, fear or pain, a Christian has a solid strength that is grounded in their relationship with the Lord and in His Word. You see joy in their lives because they rest, relax and rely on their Lord and therefore have joy. The joy of the Lord is that intangible quality of faith that is grounded on a relationship with God and His saving grace. There is something about a relationship with God that infuses within us, a joy that is unspeakable and indescribable. We could rely upon external evidence and experiences to describe the joy of the Lord but the best place to go to define it would be the Holy Scriptures.

In Psalms 5:11-12 we see that the protection God gives His servants brings joy to them.

There is joy when we choose to take refuge in the God of the Universe. We rejoice in our God because we know He is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere) and omniscient (all knowing). As we seek refuge in Him we sense His presence in our lives and we can see Him work in our circumstances. We see meaning and purpose even in trials, for we can see with our Father’s eyes the will of God being worked out as He protects us and provides for us. This gives us joy because we know we are protected.
   
The joy of the Lord is experienced when we sense God’s presence. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit living within us and He can be felt as He ministers to us. While God’s presence can be felt in a dramatic worship service, He can also be perceived to be very close to us when we are suffering. We can have the joy of the Lord in our pain, because we know the truth of God’s Word and what it says about God’s concern for our well-being. God gives us strength in trials and this in turn gives us joy. The joy we have in Him is our strength.

Psalms 16:11 states, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

This verse tells us that the “path of life” is made known to us in our relationship with the Lord. This comes from knowing God’s Word and grounding our faith in it. As we are filled with the Word of God we sense God’s Holy Spirit within us as Christians and this creates the deep stable joy of the Lord that we have.

God’s Word can stimulate our joy in the Lord more than anything else. It contains God’s thoughts. It tells us of His character. It demonstrates to us His reputation of love, justice, compassion and trustworthiness. God uses the Bible to not only tell us how He has worked on behalf of those who serve Him in the past, but also how He will work in our lives and our future. This creates the joy in the Lord that we experience. Numerous verses proclaim this fact. 

As we experience the joy of the Lord we worship and praise God. This praise creates even more joy for worship is not only pleasing to God it is pleasing to us as we fulfill one of the reasons we were created, to worship the Lord.
   

When we contemplate God’s love and forgiveness we stimulate our joy in the Lord. It is hard to fathom at times how a holy God can forgive us for our sins, but that is why the joy of the Lord is so pleasing to us. Even though we don’t deserve forgiveness, our Heavenly Father still grants it because He gave His Son to make forgiveness possible. To know that such a sacrifice was given so we could have a relationship with God gives us a joy in the Lord that is almost overwhelming. 

  
God’s actions and intervention in our life also creates the joy we have in Him. We see Him intercede for us, provide for us, work miracles in our life and create a future that is a blessing.

 
When we experience God’s comfort we can’t help but feel an inexpressible joy in Him. People will ignore our needs at times. They may misunderstand us and possibly even mistreat us, but God will never do any of these things. He is perfect and knows exactly what to do to minister to us in just the right manner.

God commands us to obey Him not only because He requires holy behavior in His holy family, but also because He knows it will bring us joy. Honest, clean, godly living brings a joy to the soul. We were made in the image of God and the more consistently we obey God, the more we fulfill the image of God in which we were created.

The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be manifest in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23) and joy is one fruits of the Spirit.
   

May the joy of the Lord overflow in your life! Remember that there are numerous things to be joyful about because of the Lord. Your sins are forgiven. You have eternal life. You are in a great relationship with your heavenly Father. You have the Holy Spirit living within you. You have a purpose in life, to serve the living God. You have words of God to guide you in life, the Holy Bible. You have a means to talk to God, prayer. You have friends who love you and want to minister to you, your local church fellowship. You can worship God with all your heart, mind and soul. You are truly blessed!