Joy

“Be joyful always” 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Take note that this is not saying just put on a happy face. Joy is much deeper. You can manufacture a happy face but joy, joy is not so easy to come by, especially during trials. It’s hard to tell someone who has lost a love one to be happy, and even harder still to tell them to be joyful. I have read this verse in the midst of hard circumstances and it felt more like a slap in the face or a punch in the gut. 

It might help here to understand what joy is and what it is not. It is not happiness that depends on our circumstances and our moods, which has to do with our emotions or place in life. If joy depended on those things we’d all be in trouble, wouldn’t we? 

Joy comes from the One who is greater than our circumstances, and our emotions, and our moods. So many times we make it about us, our feelings and emotions and circumstances, which can change instantly. Real joy comes from the One who holds all things together, and who loves you deeply, and who never changes.

Joy comes from God. It goes past human understanding and circumstances. And that is worth finding!

Spend some time praying to the Lord asking him to teach you how to dwell in his house and experience the joy that only He can provide, that you might get a taste of His goodness now and the goodness to come. And that this experience might soothe your heart and bring you real joy despite your circumstances.