In 2018, I studied joy for a few months as I was writing with a church that was planning to explore the topic more in hymn-like songs they can sing together as a congregation. So we studied the scriptures to see what the Word has to say about joy. We looked at definitions by theologians and studied the saints gone before and those still present with us.
In my best effort to define it for myself I would say that Christian Joy is a product of the Spirit, abiding in the believer, that allows a human to feel a steady elation in the knowing and beholding of Jesus - as well as in the "already but not yet" realities secured for them in Christ. It is not produced within the human response to hope, but it is a product of the Spirit. Joy is not fleeting, so it automatically sets itself apart from a general happiness. Joy is listed within the scriptures as a fruit-bearing of the Spirit. So in essence, Joy is a product of presence, a fruit-bearing of those that are grafted to the Vine. This is the certain type of joy I'm writing about today.
John Piper defines Joy as the following, "Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world."
There's a settling that occurs in a heart that has seen it's longing fulfilled. St. Augustine famously wrote, "Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee." In this rest there is joy. It is settled. It is finished. He is our hope, He is our reward, He is our reality. There is nothing greater. I accepted, in the power of the Spirit and by the blood of Jesus, the invitation to commune with Him.
This gift of Christian joy produces necessary Christian perseverance. It is steadfast. It lingers through sorrow, through emptiness, through happiness, and through even the most stressful of times. Joy is only found in the presence of God. I can not provide it for others and I do not claim to secure it even for myself. I can not muster up joy for myself. It’s presence provides assurance of our grafting to the Vine. It's this assurance that sets on our hearts the longing for home. The present reality of the experience of joy, regardless of circumstances, creates within us a settled Spirit that feels at peace and willing to run the race ahead, throwing off everything that might hinder and guarding against anything that might try to invade it's sacred space.
I've been so stunned at how quickly I've tended to just gloss over "joy" in the past, not seeing the depth of the power of the treasure it is to be able to see it borne by the Spirit in our own lives. To see His fight for us, to see His guarding of our own hearts and minds, to see His opening of our eyes to not only see but to "enjoy" the beauty of Christ and the world around us.
Thank you Lord! As we walk the path before us... Over mountains, through valleys, witness to a thousand sunrises and sunsets... through ease and pain, light and shadow. May we consider that You are our end, Lord, and may that joy above all others be our persevering strength.
press on friends. walking with you - shelly