What? Joy?!?

This month I had the pleasure of spending two days in the North Georgia mountains. Camp Pinnacle, a Christian girls camp where I worked one summer fifty-one years ago, celebrated its 75th anniversary this fall. The theme for the weekend? What Joy!

We humans love celebrations; they make us happy. But just as quickly as we’re made happy, we can be made sad, because happiness depends on our circumstances.

But what about joy? Does it quickly dissipate the way happiness does? Notice the theme wasn’t What Happiness! It was What Joy!

What Is Joy?

Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines joy as, the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. But Connie Dixon, the national director for the Baptist Women’s Missionary Union and featured speaker for the celebration weekend, declared joy to be the feeling of good pleasure and happiness depending on Jesus.

With all the focus on British royalty lately, it made great sense when Connie said joy is the flag flying over the castle of our heart signifying the King is in residence. Joy’s not something that comes and goes with the winds of change in our circumstances. Instead, joy is a deep seated recognition of peace with our Creator.

The LORD And Joy

Scripture makes the connection between the LORD and joy very clear.

I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:8, 11 (NKJV)

I Chronicles 16:26-27 says, For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place (CSB).

Our Creator is telling us that we will find joy in His presence. Jesus told us in this world we will have tribulations. But He also told us to be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). We know the path our Savior walked to make a way for us to be with Him forever. It was full of tribulation and sacrifice. But because He has gone before us, in His presence we find the joy we need as we walk in this world. His joy allows us to keep our heads up, our hearts light, and our minds at peace.

Joy Filled

Our Father loves us and shows His love daily. Sometimes we notice and other times we aren’t as alert. Sometimes He speaks a little louder to make sure we hear I love you. That’s what He chose to do for me. He knew what was ahead.

I knew going to the camp to attend the anniversary celebration would be emotional. Two years after I was a counselor there, my sister Janet went as camp nurse. Eunice was the camp director that year, and Janet and Eunice became friends for life. Janet went Home to Jesus earlier this year. Eunice and I were determined to go to the camp and celebrate what God has done in that ministry for 75 years even though we knew memories and people from our past would bring tears.

The theme What Joy was God’s reminder to me that He is the One who fills our hearts with purpose and meaning and joy. But He wasn’t finished with His whispers of love to me when that celebration ended.

The next day was Sunday. A new church friend invited me to visit and have tea with her in the afternoon. As we sat to chat, I stopped in awe. The mug my friend chose for me had a verse on it. It was the exact same Bible verse used at the camp to support the theme of joy, quoted in the exact same version of Scripture.

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Psalm 126:3 (NIV)

God knows we will find joy in His presence. And He is the One and only one Who can and does fill us with joy.

Joy Repeated

One of the ways God gets a message through to me is with repetition. After two days of hearing the speaker talk about joy and one day of sitting with a friend whose chosen mug for me repeated the theme verse for the last two days, the Father spoke again to me in my quiet time the following day.

I meditated on the fact that the theme verse for the anniversary celebration and the verse on the mug were identical. Timing is everything. Another day, that mug would have been nice, but nothing extra special. But that day, God spoke to me.

I then decided to look up Psalm 126:3 in all the different versions I could find. I discovered some translations used the word glad while other versions used the term joyful or filled with joy.

The Christian Standard Bible translates the verse as follows:

The LORD had done great things for us; we were joyful.

Psalm 126:3 (CSB)

With that in mind, I chose to research other verses which used the same Hebrew word. And once again found a treasure.

Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good? ” Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound.

Psalm 4:6-7 (CSB)

Satisfied that God gives joy and in His presence is joy, I rested from my search. I was to find out that God had a very good reason for speaking about joy to my heart. The next day my brother passed away.

The Strength Of Joy

Having lost a sister in February this year and losing our brother seven months later, my brain gave up trying to grasp the impact of these losses for me and my family. But in the days since, I have thought often on the love our Father has for us. How He loves each of us. How He loves me, even me, enough to prepare my heart with His joy for what He knew was to come.

In Nehemiah 8:10, we read the joy of the LORD is your strength (KJV). The people of God were under conviction of their sin as the law of Moses was read to them, and they grieved. But God instructed Nehemiah to tell the people not to mourn, for God had made the day holy, and His joy would be their strength.

Our Father tells us the same. His joy is our strength. Every day. Once we are His, once we have understood that in Christ alone is our salvation, we can rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. No matter what comes our way in this world, true life is with the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit keeps us mindful that this world isn’t our home. Instead we have a Home with Him. And in His presence is joy.

Sometimes life is hard, and we wonder if joy here is really possible. We may even ask, What? Joy?!? As in, “You must be kidding, right?!” Is joy an option when hurt comes? When trouble strikes and doesn’t want to let up? When the world seems to be in chaos and there seems to be no end to evil in the hearts of men?

But God is still on His throne. He is the Righteous Judge, Sovereign over all, and He is good. He is the One Who gives beauty for ashes, turns bad for good, and knows the end that is before us. For those who trust Him, our end is peace and joy. Even here we get to taste that joy, because He is here with us.

So as my Father spoke years ago, and I know from experience, His joy is my strength. We will hurt and there will be pain. We grieve the loss of those we love. In the midst of it all, people may ask, What? Joy?!? Hopefully we can answer from our hearts, Yes. Joy. What joy!

PS You might enjoy singing with Twila Paris, The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength. Or you may enjoy reading a post from earlier this year where I was reminded we are Never Forgotten. Blessings be yours. May His joy fill all of us each day, and may His joy be our strength.

(Photos: Taken by Carolyn Thigpen in Clayton, GA, and Loganville, GA)