Joy to the World

Posted On December 13, 2020

“Joy is the serious business of heaven.”

C. S. Lewis

I recently watched an episode of Star Trek: Discovery in which the crew has traveled through a wormhole to the distant future. However, things are not what they expected. In this new time, Starfleet is almost nonexistent. The crew has left everything they know behind, and now they are cut off from the one thing they have always been able to count on. Their loved ones are long dead. They’ve lost their sense of connection with the world. They are feeling lost, and they begin struggling with feelings of stress and anxiety.

Have you ever felt this way? Lost in unfamiliar territory, cut off from your support system, anxious about your circumstances, or just plain stressed? I think we all have. So how are we supposed to “rejoice in the Lord always” as Paul instructs in Philippians 4:4? Surely he doesn’t really mean always, does he? Are we truly commanded to have joy all the time, even when we’re stressed or facing hardships? The short answer is yes. He even says it twice:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Philippians 4:4 NIV

In his book Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado says:

“It is one thing to rejoice in the Lord when life is good, but when the odds are against you? . . . You weren’t thrown in jail, like Joseph, but then again, maybe you were. Or you ended up in AA or a women’s shelter or an unemployment line. And you wonder, I believe in God. Is he aware? Does he care?”

I have felt this way before. I thought I was doing everything God wanted me to do, but I was feeling miserable. I thought, Is this really what He wants . . . for me to be miserable? After a while I decided that maybe He did. I started to believe that maybe I was supposed to just grin and bear it and not expect to be happy. I lived that way for years, but it started to take its toll. Finally, I reached a breaking point and did what I should have done a lot sooner: I cried out to God. As it turns out, I’m not the only one. Throughout the Bible we read about God’s people crying out to Him. When Moses reached his breaking point, here is what he said to God:

“Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where can I get meat for all these people?  They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me — if I have found favor in your eyes — and do not let me face my own ruin.”

Numbers 11:11-15 NIV

“Please go ahead and kill me”? Yeah, I would say Moses was rather stressed! But he didn’t try to deal with the problems on his own. He took his concerns to God. He asked for help. And God listened:

“The Lord said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.  Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.  They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.'”

Numbers 11:16-17 NIV

Moses told God the burden was too heavy for him. God told Moses he would not have to carry it alone. God tells us the same thing. So how do we rejoice when we’re feeling stressed? First, we can give our burdens to God and trust Him to help us carry them. Next, we can thank Him for it. We can appreciate feeling just a little bit lighter. We can savor feeling just a little more loved. Finally, we can realize that the Creator of the universe stands ready and willing to help us with any problem. . . . and we can rejoice in that fact.

“The Israelites were weeping, and their leader Moses was discouraged. He didn’t slap on a smile and approach God with rehearsed or phony phrases. He was honest. He asked questions. He told God the burden was too heavy. . . . Tell God what you’re carrying that feels too heavy. Ask God to help you fully release it, fully trust that He loves you, and walk forward with joy.”

The Weekly Prayer Project

God really does care. Our powerful heavenly Father is personally involved in His creation. He is in charge of everything. In fact, if He weren’t, everything would fall apart: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17 NIV). As Max Lucado reminds us:

“There is an order to the universe. He sustains everything. And this is crucial: he uses everything to accomplish his will. . . . He isn’t making up this plan as he goes along. And he didn’t wind up the clock and walk away. . . . So if God is in charge, why was Joseph in prison? . . . Why does God permit challenges to come our way? Wouldn’t an almighty God prevent them? Not if they serve his higher purpose. . . . Years later Joseph would tell his brothers, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children’ (Gen. 50:20-21 NIV). . . . What was intended as harm became good. Why? Because Joseph kept God in the middle of his circumstance. Joseph viewed the sufferings of his life through the lens of divine providence. . . . if the story of Joseph teaches us anything, it is this: we have a choice. We can wear our hurt or wear our hope. We can outfit ourselves in our misfortune, or we can clothe ourselves in God’s providence. We can cave in to the pandemonium of life, or we can lean into the perfect plan of God.”

So how do we rejoice when we are facing hardships? We can trust God’s promise that He will use everything we go through for our good. He will work it all into His plan. Through Christ, God defeated evil once and for all. This means that He has the power to turn any terrible thing into a beautiful thing. There is nothing He can’t use to help us. He can use our struggles to teach us perseverance. He can use our brokenness to teach us to rely on Him. He can even use our sins to teach us that His way is infinitely better than ours. As long as we are willing to let Him, He can transform us from struggling, broken sinners into strong, obedient followers of Christ. And we can rejoice knowing that we once were lost, but now we’re found.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

It’s all because of Jesus Christ. He is the reason we can rejoice in any circumstance. That’s why Christmas is a time of joy. Our hardships don’t magically go away at Christmas. All the shopping and Christmas activities can be stressful. And it may be a time that we especially miss our loved ones that have passed on. But we can’t let any of that overshadow what we are celebrating: God became human and came to earth to save us. The Creator of the universe loved us so much that He sacrificed Himself for us. I mean, when I stop and really think about that, it blows my mind. Little, insignificant, sinful me is loved by God so much that He suffered and died to save me. And He did the same for you. He did the same for all of us.

Whatever burdens we are carrying, they are just temporary. That little Baby in the manger came to save us all so that we can live with Him forever in paradise, where there will be no more sorrow and no more pain. That’s why, no matter what hardships we are facing right now, we can still find our joy in Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always. To me, this command means never forget what Christ did for us. View every situation in light of the fact that Christ came to save us all so that we can live with Him forever in heaven. Christ also showed us how to live here on earth, and He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to transform us into beings like Him. This transformation process is ongoing. God uses everything that touches our lives — good or bad — to help us become mature believers. So we can find joy even in our trials. It’s all because of Christ. Rejoice in the Lord . . . always.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

James 1:2-4 NIV

In The Life You’ve Always Wanted, John Ortberg explains that God Himself is full of joy. Because of our broken world, He also knows sorrow, but that is not His nature:

“Jesus came as the Joy-bringer. The joy we see in the happiest child is but a fraction of the joy that resides in the heart of God. . . . Joy is God’s basic character. Joy is his eternal destiny. God is the happiest being in the universe. And God’s intent was that his creation would mirror his joy. . . . As products of God’s creation, creatures made in his image, we are to reflect God’s fierce joy in life. This is why the Bible speaks not just about our need for joy in general, but a particular kind of joy that characterizes God. . . . Lewis Smedes puts it this way: ‘To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence.'”

God wants us to be like Him, and He is full of joy. He has faced sorrows, but it hasn’t changed His joyful nature. He doesn’t want us to let our troubles steal our joy. If we do, we are not living up to what He wants us to be. As John Ortberg reminds us, joy is not optional. It is a command. Joylessness is a sin. Let that sink in for a minute. When we do not rejoice in the Lord always, we are sinning. That realization hit me hard. All those years I settled for being miserable and depressed, I wasn’t just hurting myself. I was disobeying God, so I was hurting Him, too. And I was probably hurting those around me. John Ortberg tells us:

“Joylessness is a serious sin, one that religious people are particularly prone to indulge in. . . . But how much damage have joyless Christians done to the cause of Christ? . . . How often have people misunderstood God because they attributed to him the grim, judgmental, defensive, soul-wearying spirit of many who claim to be his followers? . . . We are invited to rejoice in every moment of life because every moment of life is a gift.”

How can we shine the light of Christ if we don’t have His joy? This makes sense. Why would anyone want to follow Christ if Christians seem so miserable? So we have to take this command seriously if we want to lead others to Christ. Also, sin becomes much less appealing if we are joyful. Taking the time to gratefully celebrate God’s gifts makes us less likely to desire anything else the world has to offer. Joy gives us strength.

“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'”

Nehemiah 8:10 NIV

As I have discovered, becoming a joyful person is not easy. It’s not something that happens overnight. And the process may be messy and painful. In the episode of Star Trek: Discovery that I mentioned earlier, the crew is struggling, but they are each trying to put on a brave face and press on. After all, they still have jobs to do. But the stress is beginning to wear them down. Work isn’t fun anymore, crewmates don’t work together as well, and the sense of adventure that usually drives them is beginning to slip away. It’s time for something to be done about it. The medical officer shares his concerns about the crew’s wellbeing with the captain. In hopes of easing some of the tension, the captain hosts a dinner for the bridge crew in his quarters. He reminds them that they are all in this together, and for a while, everyone seems happy. But soon the festive mood deteriorates into accusations and shouting, and several of the officers stalk out of the room.

The captain feels defeated, but he doesn’t give up. He later arranges, as a surprise for the crew, an evening for all of them to relax and watch an old slapstick comedy film together. As laughter fills the room, we see that some of the hard feelings have begun to heal, and the crew is able to celebrate the simple pleasure of joyful fellowship. Does this mean all their problems have magically gone away? No, not at all. But the captain knows they will not be able to do their jobs as effectively if they don’t take time to heal. And discovering how to find their joy again, even in a simple celebration, is an important first step. Here is the conversation between Captain Saru and the medical officer, Lieutenant Commander Hugh Culber, at the end of the scene. In the background we can still hear the laughter of the crew.

Saru: “It fills the room.”
Culber: “Joy? Yeah, we all had to stop pretending we were fine first.”
Saru: “We are not, are we?”
Culber: “How could we be? But we’ll get there. And you pushed us closer.”
Saru: “It was not pretty.”
Culber: “It never is.”

So how do we find our joy? I’m no expert, but I think like the Discovery crew, the first step is to stop pretending we are fine. Life is hard. Life is messy. Life is sometimes heart wrenching. But God doesn’t want us to put on a brave face and just try to press on. Unlike the Discovery crew, we are not cut off from our support system. God is there for us. He always has been, and He always will be. He wants us to cry out to Him, shout at Him if necessary, do whatever it takes to acknowledge that we cannot do this on our own. It may not be pretty, but we have to face whatever’s stealing our joy and turn it over to God. We have to stay connectd to Him and let Him help us. He may not take the burden away, but He will help us bear it.

Turning over our trials to God lightens our load and frees up space in our hearts for His joy to come in. But we may have to actively seek it at first. We may have to practice finding it. We do this by celebrating God’s gifts in our lives — all of the them — whether they are big or small. We find something to celebrate, we thank Him for it, and then we enjoy it, knowing that it comes from Him. It may feel awkward at first, but I think as we do this more and more, it will become easier. Then it will become a habit. And then, before we know it, we will find that we are joyful people! John Ortberg tells us:

“When we celebrate, we exercise our ability to see and feel goodness in the simplest gifts of God. We are able to take delight today in something we wouldn’t have even noticed yesterday. Our capacity for joy increases. So how do we pursue joy? The first step for pursuing joy is simply to begin now.”

“This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24 ESV

This week’s Scripture passages focus on joy. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. I have also posted a video of the song “Joy” by For King & Country. I think Christmastime is the perfect time to rediscover our joy. What better gift to celebrate than the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world? Let us rejoice in the Lord . . . always!

“Sing for joy to the Lord, all the earth;
praise him with songs and shouts of joy!
Sing praises to the Lord!
Play music on the harps!
Blow trumpets and horns,
and shout for joy to the Lord, our king.
Roar, sea, and every creature in you;
sing, earth, and all who live on you!
Clap your hands, you rivers;
you hills, sing together with joy before the Lord”

Psalm 98:4-8 GNT

References:

• “for KING & COUNTRY – joy. (Official Music Video).” YouTube, uploaded by for KING & COUNTRY, 20 May 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA7n7TwPDmw.
• “Forget Me Not.” Star Trek: Discovery, season 3, episode 4, CBS All Access, 2020.
• Hiltibidal, Scarlet. The Weekly Prayer Project: A Challenge to Journal, Pray, Reflect, and Connect with God. Zondervan, 2017.
• Lucado, Max. Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World. Thomas Nelson, 2017.
• Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. Zondervan, 2002.

Images:

• Planet Earth featured image by LoganArt from Pixabay
• Wormhole image by Genty from Pixabay
• Creation image by beate bachmann from Pixabay
• Joy image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
• Christmas Ornament image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Laughter image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Nativity Scene image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay