Oh Joy!

Joy of the Lord is your strength.  Nehemiah 8:10

“No matter what the climate is, what the troubles are, what the difficulties are, there is joy for the child of God, because joy is produced supernaturally by the Holy spirit in us” Billy Graham

I have struggled since childhood with happiness and joy. This may be due to my dysfunctional upbringing; both parents battled with alcohol abuse and unfaithfulness. At times the household could be a very tense and angry atmosphere.  When I met Jesus, I sensed such joy and strength as I have never known before. But that joy and strength would seem to come and go. I would hear “Joy of the Lord is your strength” preached, but when I asked about remaining joyful and in the presence of the Lord I was told by a well meaning saint “you can’t live on the mountain top!” What? Wait!  Then what then does “joy of the Lord is your strength” mean? Is it just a church saying with no meaning? This has taken me on a journey seeking joy because I desperately want joy and strength in my life. I have realized that the saint had a misunderstanding of “joy”.  It appears some Christians only understand joy as an emotion brought on by circumstances or situations.  The joy God speaks of is a satisfaction or gratification of knowing the character of Him, independent of our circumstances.

My favorite example of joy is found in second Samuel sixth chapter. This is the account of King David bringing the Ark of God back to Jerusalem. There was a party going on, dancing, music and sacrifice of bull and fattened calf.  The bible reads, “…David was dancing before the LORD with all his might”. I am a very visual person and I can just envision this event, and I know David was doing the happy dance! You see this was such a joyous occasion because the ark represents the presence of God; there is joy in the presence of God. (Acts 2:28, Psalm 16:11) But wait, there was one person named Michal, King David’s wife was not celebrating. She was watching from her window. The Bible reads, “…she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.” WOW! She despised him in her heart! This is a woman who cared more about “appearance” than honoring God and enjoying the presence of God. Scripture tells us she was barren until her death. I don’t know if King David from that point on no longer had relations with her or if her womb was not able to bear children. What I do know is I don’t want to be barren spiritually and I will rejoice in the presence of the Lord and will not judge others for rejoicing in the Lord.

In Acts 16:16-38 we read about Paul and Silas imprisoned, not a joyful situation. But they demonstrated joy by praying and praising God.  It seems to me they understood living in the presence of God is joy and that joy of knowing God brings strength and courage to handle any situation.  They lived in the presence of God.  Not only were they able to get through this difficult situation, but because of their joy, the jailer and his household was saved!  That is a lesson for all of us, joy of the Lord is found in the presence of the Lord, not from our situation. Joy not only changes our lives, but our joy is even able to change the lives of others.

Both these accounts are filled with joy but from very different situations. So to the well meaning saint, I say we are under a new covenant, the veil is torn (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38); which means we have full access to the presence of God. The joy, satisfaction and gratification which is found in the presence of the Lord is your strength, courage, and stability needed to handle every situation.  

Michelle Odom
Michelle is an Ordained Minister through United Christian Fellowship and co-founder with her husband, John, of MJ Ministries, a “Practical Evangelism” ministry expressing the Gospel through action. MJ Ministries is dedicated to revealing God’s love through the practice of hospitality using our God given gifts, talents and resources. We are challenged to Engage others in the pursuit of Jesus, Encourage others to realize their potential in Jesus, and Empower others to have influence for Jesus.

“Mission Possible” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” Mark 10:27