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There was a chorus we sang when I was growing up—you may know it. It was “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.” We used to sing that with such great enthusiasm. My favorite verse was, “And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack!”
It was a good song, but if all of us were to sing it right now, some of us would be singing a lie. We don’t have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our heart. Oh, we’ve got Jesus in our heart; we’re born from above, but the joy just doesn’t bubble like it used to. Does that describe you?
Think right now of the people you know who you would describe as joyful. Name them to yourself. It’s likely that you can count them on one hand. Would your friends and acquaintances identify you as a joyful person they know? Joyful people are scarce, even among us believers. And that is a shame, because we have a reason to be joyful and we have the power to be joyful. So what’s the problem?
Well, there are hindrances to joy—things that we allow to get in our way and keep us from knowing that joy which Jesus came to give us. It’s good to remember that joy and happiness are not the same thing. Happiness depends upon our circumstances; joyfulness is a choice we can make regardless of our circumstances. Think about this: No one can keep you from being joyful if you choose to be, no matter what’s going on all around you.
I am convinced that we miss one of our most effective means of witnessing when we do not choose to be joyful. Ann O’Neill, a regular listener, shared her testimony in one of our newsletters, and she related how she was drawn to Christ by a joyful neighbor. She said, “I was standing at my window and could see my neighbor, Judy, in her yard. As I watched her work, I realized that she had something I didn’t have. Whether it was bright and sunny or cloudy and cold, Judy maintained her spirit of peace and joy. I decided to walk over and talk to her to discover what it was that made her different from most people I knew. Those were my first steps toward new life!”
Joyfulness is contagious and it is attractive. I love this definition of joy: “Joy is the flag that is flown from the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.” When King Jesus lives in us, joy is our trademark—right?
Well, it should be, but then why did Paul write to the Galatians: “What has happened to all your joy?” Maybe he could write that to you, too. Is the flag of joy flying from your face, your life, your words, your heart?
One of the chief hindrances to a joyful life is our circumstances. We tend to think that if we could control all things in our lives so that they go our way, then we could have constant joy. But you know, Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he was greatly encouraged; “in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds,” he said (2 Corinthians 7:4b). In the midst of terrible circumstances, his joy was not affected.
When your joy depends on your circumstances, you’re in trouble. There are so many things that are beyond our control, and that will always be the case. It’s easy to say we are joyful, but when bad things happen, we struggle and too often our joy flies out the window. That will happen to any of us when we focus on the circumstances of our lives or on our evil world.
But when we choose to focus on the Lord, the circumstances won’t rob our joy. When we set our minds on the good things of the Lord, that allows us to be joyful in spite of the bad things around us that we don’t understand. Remember, you have a choice and you can be joyful if you want to be, no matter what’s happening. I didn’t say happy. There are many things that keep us from feeling happy, and understandably so. But we can be joyful even in the absence of happy feelings.
David prayed that God would restore to him the joy of his salvation. He had it once, but he had lost it. Our enemy is certainly out to steal our joy. Satan is a robber and a thief, and nothing pleases him more than to see you cheerless, depressed, dreary and discouraged. A joyful Christian is a contagious Christian, and our enemy is not happy when we are joyful.
You remember the verse from that old chorus which goes, “If the devil doesn’t like it, he can sit on a tack.” Kids always love that verse; I did. But the facts are, we must have a defense mechanism to keep the devil from stealing our joy. Telling him to sit on a tack may be a good start, but you need to be prepared to follow up with a strategy to protect your joy.
The Psalmist tells us over and over again to shout with joy, to give thanks with joy, to praise God with joy, to sing with joy. That’s how you keep Satan from stealing your joy. God inhabits the praise of his people, and Satan cannot abide the presence of God. So, when your joy is starting to run dry and you feel cheerless, start praising God with joy.
Now, your feelings may not want to come along with you. You’ll have to ignore them many times. But if you will sing and praise God with words of joy, your joy will be restored. Ever tried shouting with joy? You’ll have to pick the time and place appropriately, but if we can shout at ball games, surely it’s okay to shout for joy to the Lord. If you’re having trouble being joyful in the midst of your circumstances, go someplace where you won’t disturb anyone and just shout out loud to the top of your voice words of praise to God. Take God literally, shout for joy, and I think you’ll discover that Satan will have a lot of trouble stealing your joy. He may not go sit on a tack, but he will eventually give up!
Psalm 71:23 says: My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you – I, whom you have delivered. You want to be joyful today? Well, start singing songs of praise to the Lord. Sing them under your breath, in your mind, out loud when you can. I promise you, it will bring joy to your lips, your face and to your heart.
Keep in mind that if you’re going to be joyful, you have to look for it in the right places. You’ve heard that country song, “Lookin’ for love in all the wrong places.” Well, maybe you’ve been looking for joy in all the wrong places. Joy is found in the presence of the Lord. How much time are you spending in his presence, just you and Jesus? Not much, you say? No wonder you’re losing your joy.
Psalm 19:8 says, The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. You’ll find joy in the Word of God. Psalm 90 which is a psalm of Moses says, Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days (Psalm 90:14). I have that written in the front of my prayer journal, as a reminder that if I start my day focusing on the unfailing love of Jesus to me, I will be much more joyful and glad all day long.
Many mornings when I start my day, I don’t feel particularly joyful. My heart is not overflowing with thankfulness or joy or anything good. But almost every time, when I get started reading the Word of God early in my day, something on those pages speaks to me and starts to bring joy into my mind and heart. Have you learned to turn to the Bible when your joy is slipping? Let me warn you, you won’t feel like doing it, so you must do it through discipline. But grab that Bible, get off by yourself, and start reading. You will find joy in his precepts, in his words.
Maybe you’ve been looking for joy in other places – like other people. No one can promise you joy except Jesus. Certainly, God gives us people to enhance our joy and make it complete many times, but if you are expecting to find joy in others, you are going to be on a roller-coaster ride.
If you’ve been looking for joy in accomplishments, you’ll discover that you can never accomplish enough to satisfy your own needs. You’ll end up a driven person with little joy.
Look for joy in the right places – in Jesus, in his Word, in praise. We are guaranteed joy—not happiness but joy—when we look for it in the presence of the living God. David wrote: “...you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11b). Eternal pleasures and joy—not the temporary kind that vanish like bubbles in your fingers—but eternal joy—that’s what is promised when we spend time in his presence.
Another way to restore your joy is to keep a record of answered prayer. When I go back and read all the answers to prayer which I’ve recorded over many years, joy starts to bubble inside of me as I remember all he’s done for me. You’ll forget many of his blessings in your life if you don’t write them down somewhere. A prayer journal is a wonderful way to help you keep your joy, because it will keep you focused on what God has done for you.
Peter wrote that: Though you have not seen him (Jesus Christ), you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).
Filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy—could you honestly say that you are filled up with that kind of joy? Do other people see the joy of the Lord in you?
I want to let the world around me know that the King is in residence in my life because joy is flying from my heart—how about you? That means your face will be joyful, your words will be joyful, your attitude will be joyful, and your actions will be joyful. And when you are joyful, believe me, people will notice. It’s the best witness we can have for Jesus.
Quoting Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers as he was called from the 19th Century:
“There is a marvelous medicinal power in joy. Most medicines are distasteful; but this, which is the best of all medicines, is sweet to the taste, and comforting to the heart. This blessed joy is very contagious. . .. Holy joy will oil the wheels of your life’s machinery. Holy joy will strengthen you for your daily labor. Holy joy will beautify you and give you an influence over the lives of others.”