What do we mean when we talk about “the joy of the Lord”? Joy is listed second, just after love, in Paul’s list of manifestations of the Spirit’s fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Real joy is not some superficial, giddy, fleeting sort of happiness, but a deep-down, abiding sense of well-being that is the result of genuine faith in Jesus Christ. As such, it rises above all the difficulties and storms of life.
The apostle Peter wrote to believers who were scattered by persecution and suffering severe trials. He reminded them of the genuineness of their faith in Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:7), and then went on to say in the very next verse, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8).
Real joy is not the sense of delight we feel when everything is going well in our lives. Real joy may be profound even in the midst of harsh and painful circumstances. In fact, as the people in Nehemiah’s day heard the Word of God preached to them and wept over their sin, Nehemiah reminded them that “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Paul was a living example of joy in the midst of trials, as the book of Philippians shows. As he wrote from a prison in Rome, some form of the word “joy” occurs 19 times in four brief chapters. In Philippians 4:4, he repeats the same imperative twice for emphasis: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” The second shortest verse in the Bible is the simple command, “Rejoice evermore” (I Thessalonians 5:16). Joy and rejoicing is a frequent theme in all of Paul’s letters, and the only time he didn’t mention it was when he was refuting false doctrine or confronting problems in the church.
The neat thing about joy is that there is no limit to the joy of the Lord we are allowed to experience. The great Baptist preacher of London, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, had this to say about joy: “You cannot be too happy, brother. Nay, do not suspect yourself of being wrong because you are full of delight. You know that it is said of the divine wisdom, ‘Her ways are the ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.’ Provided that it is the joy of the Lord, you cannot have too much of it.”
Joy is one of the true delights of God’s kingdom, a greater gladness than any earthly pleasure. Elsewhere, Paul wrote, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17).
If you are a part of God’s kingdom, enjoy it!