The Joy Of The Lord

by Peter Sweetmore, Cardiff | Category: General | Jan 1975

The story has been told of a man who arrived in Liverpool where he was to embark for his journey to America. As he had very little money, he decided to economise on food during the voyage, and bought himself some crackers and cheese from a small shop. As the voyage progressed, the sea air made him very hungry, as well as making his crackers soft; and to make matters worse, he caught a whiff of some food on a tray which was being carried by a steward. He was unable to hold out any longer, and although short of money, he asked the steward the price of a good meal in the ship's restaurant. Imagine his amazement when he found that all his meals were included in the price of the ticket for the voyage: he could have eaten as much as he wanted!

It seems that many people put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Saviour, but never really appropriate the blessings which are theirs for the taking. The joy of the Lord is not restricted in any way, but is a Christian grace to be appropriated by all, to be shared with, and shown to others. It is sad that unbelievers often associate the Christian gospel with joylessness and a mournful demeanour. One man was offering tracts to passers-by, and, in a mournful tone, asked a man if he would like to be a Christian. "No thank you", replied the man, "I've enough troubles of my own". We could have told him that "He that is of a cheerful heart hath a continual feast" (Prov. 15:15); and that "The kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17).

Joy in Believing

It is necessary, sometimes, to distinguish between joy and happiness. It has been said that "happiness depends on what happens", but joy is independent of circumstances. It is possible to have a sort of superficial happiness, as is witnessed by multitudes of non-Christians, but joy clearly emanates from God Himself. This is a fact recognized by Old Testament writers, as well as those who wrote the New. "The joy of the LORD is your strength", Nehemiah told the people of Israel at a time of repentance arising from the reading of the Word of God (Neh. 8:10). "The God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing", wrote Paul to the church in Rome (Rom. 15:13). The unique quality of the joy of the Lord is recognized when it is appreciated that it is the same joy which the Lord Jesus Christ p05sessed, and indeed passed on to His disciples: "These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be fulfilled" (John 15:11). Who can describe the joy which comes to the soul when an earnest seeker first puts his or her trust in the Lord! Many of God's children will continue to testify of the peace which has remained with them: perhaps not as many can still speak of the joy which they experienced in that first moment of release from the powers of darkness.

Joy in Service

The service of God was never meant to be a dreary or a mournful duty. It should always be expressive of the joy in the heart of the worshipper or worker. It is said of the disciples, following their meeting with the risen Lord: "They worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the temple, blessing God" (Luke 24:52). David gave some indication of the divine joy when he said, "In Thy presence is fulness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psa. 16:11). It is David, perhaps, who puts so many words of joy into our hearts, (and on our lips!), in our worship of the same God in whom he trusted, when we capture some of the sheer exuberance which was his, and break forth into praise: "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth....0 magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psa. 34:1,3).

In the service of stewardship, Paul wrote concerning the churches in Macedonia: "How that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality" (2 Cor. 8:1,2). The possibility of the final sacrifice in service was never very far from Paul, but this never caused him to be in any way despondent. He wrote when faced with such possibility, "I joy, and rejoice with you all: and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me" (Phil. 2:17,18).

Joy in Affliction

It is the prophet Habakkuk who perhaps makes affliction all seem like nothing when he says in his psalm,

"For though the fig tree shall not blossom,

Neither shall fruit be in the vines;

The labour of the olive shall fail,

And the fields shall yield no meat;

The flock shall be cut off from the fold,

And there shall be no herd in the stalls;

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. 3:17,18).

The joy of the Lord was truly his strength!

"As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing , said the apostle (2 Cor. 6:10); and again, "I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction" (2 Cor. 7:4). It was not just a case of having sufficient joy for his own comfort when passing through great trial, but he spoke of actually "overflowing with joy" when pressed on every side. What a great character was Paul! And old James seemed to be in the same mind when he wrote, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations (trials); knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience" (James 1:2). And then there was Peter, that great strengthener of his brethren, when he wrote with particular reference to persecution, "But inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of His glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy" (1 Pet. 4:13). Afflictions, persecution and trials are to be regarded as additional causes for joyfulness: a peculiar and quite remarkable witness to the unbeliever.

Joy in Witness

It must be fairly clear from a number of the scriptures already quoted that the joy of the Lord is not something that can be bottled up. The peace that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ will probably be noticed by others in our serenity in the face of trouble, in our unruffled behaviour in the face of external pressures, and in our refusal to get over-anxious in matters over which we have not the least bit of control. Some Christians seem to find it necessary to demonstrate their joy in a noisy kind of way. A reverent use of the expression "Praise the Lord" may be acceptable, but a great deal of shouting and jumping up and down may give the appearance of carnality. So how is our joy observed by others? There is no doubt that the joy of the Lord puts a melody into the heart, and causes the voice to sing, hence Paul's exhortation: "Be filled with the Spirit; speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:18-20). The prophet Isaiah found it hard to contain himself, for he wrote, "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness ... for as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations" (Isa. 61:10,11). The most natural outcome of joy in the soul must be praise in the heart and praise on the lips. How else could Paul and Silas have responded other than by joyful praise when they prayed and sang hymns to God at midnight bound fast in jail? The witness of the individual, and the witness of the church, will be all the more vital when both are seen to be unrestrained in their praise.

"The fruit of the Spirit is ...joy" (Gal. 5:22). Spirit-filled hearts, surrendered lives, may be assured of a joy which the world can never know, because of their attachment to the Lord Jesus Himself, "Whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8). Believing and rejoicing hearts will always find yet greater joy in the anticipation of the return of their Lord, and His own words to His disciples will always come over loud and clear: "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you" (John 16:22). Can anyone ask for more? "Rejoice in the Lord alway: again I will say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4).

Peter Sweetmore, Cardiff | Jan 1975
General