One of the terms thrown around most prolifically among Christians, especially with the holiday season approaching, is the little word “joy.” We talk about it, sing about it, write about it, listen to sermons about it, create social media memes about it, and wear jewelry and garments that proclaim it. It’s a powerful little word that represents feelings that all of us want to find more ways to experience. Wanting those things is normal, but its presence is especially compelling in an environment that is so full of all those feelings that are actually the antithesis of it. But in spite of all the attention that joy seems to get this time of year, there’s a perspective that we might be failing to consider. 

Suggesting a Different Perspective ~
I’ve heard it said that perspective is “everything.” While that may be debatable, the fact that it can have a profound influence on how we understand and respond to things is not. And with that in mind, we’d like to suggest taking a brief moment or two to shift our point of view in regard to a familiar Scriptural reference about joy and consider it from a different perspective. So let’s begin by looking at the historical context surrounding the occasion where the concept of joy was introduced.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah in our Bibles chronicle the return of God’s people to their homeland after 70 years of captivity. The initial group, led by Ezra, focused on rebuilding Solomon’s Temple, which had been destroyed. Then a second group, under Nehemiah’s leadership, was devoted to rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. After their basic missions were completed, it was time for celebration and worship. All of Jerusalem gathered to hear Ezra the priest read from the Torah, and as the people heard the Word of God, they responded with mourning and weeping, whereupon Nehemiah intervened with this declaration:   

“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:9-10 NKJV)

Not a Time for Weeping ~
This was not a time for whining and crying over their failures as God’s chosen people. Instead, it was a time for resounding expressions of gratitude and praise for His deliverance and gracious provision. Given all the miraculous and incredible things He had just done for them, God wasn’t looking for an episode of weeping and wailing. He wanted them to reflect on what He was doing in their midst and to express a reaction in keeping with the blessings He had poured out on them. 

But their mourning and weeping wasn’t just inappropriate, it was also robbing them. Sorrow, and grief over their past failures could never get them what they needed and what God wanted them to have. What they didn’t realize was that the joy of the Lord that Nehemiah called for could bring much more with it than a few happy moments of singing, dancing, and feeling good. It could become both the source and definition of the strength they would need in the days ahead!

Looking for a Definition ~
But our current concern is to determine what this joy of the Lord actually is, how it’s different from any other garden variety kind of joy. Is it simply an uplifting feeling that springs from an awareness of who God is and what He has done? Or could it possibly be something more? What if, for instance, the joy of the Lord is not just about the joy we feel. What if it refers to the joy that God, Himself, experiences as a result of His relationship with us? And if so, how could it possibly translate into something that becomes the definition of our strength? 

Perhaps finding the answer begins with acknowledging that the God who created us fashioned us in His own image. That means that the kinds of things we are equipped to feel are in many ways a replica of what He feels. Unlike what my grandpa made it seem like, wrath and righteous indignation aren’t the only feelings our God experiences. He made that clear when He took on human flesh and became one of us.  In the person of Jesus, He expressed all those emotions that He built into us, minus their sinful applications. And as all of us know, before Jesus was taken from them, He gave a special gift to that core group of disciples He had chosen. John recorded Jesus’ words like this: 

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:11 NKJV)

A Different Look at Jesus’ Gift of Joy ~
My response to what Jesus was giving them might not be found in the volumes of systematic theology, but very simply, it’s this… I think Jesus was saying to them, “I’m leaving to you all the kinds of things that brought me joy, so that your joy might be as full and complete as Mine has been.” And what, exactly, was it that brought Jesus joy? It certainly wasn’t wealth, fame, and notoriety… 

• • It was applying the real truth of God’s Word to everyday life. 
  • It was reaching out to help poor, afflicted, hopeless, and helpless people wherever He found them. 
  • It came from reclining around a table and sharing profound ideas with ordinary people. 
  • It came from honest, hard work in a land where nothing was easy. 
  • It came from unexpected meetings and impromptu interventions that had eternal implications. And… 
  • It came from pulling Himself away from the pressures of the day to spend time with His Father. 

What might it mean if we found joy in things like that instead of seeking it in the purely physical pleasures the world draws us toward?

If we engage in doing things that bring joy to Him, and refrain from doing things that His enemy promotes, do you think that maybe it might have an affect on us? Could it be that practicing the way of Jesus makes us stronger? Do you think it might become the very definition of our moral and spiritual strength? I’m convinced that it can and that it does. And the lesson isn’t over yet. 

The Hebrew word translated as strength [māʿôzen] in this passage primarily refers to a stronghold or fortress. Those things we engage in that bring joy to the heart of God become a protective fortress around us! Paul admonished us not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). In the same way that righteousness will ultimately reign over corruption and that light will prevail against darkness, so will the God whose heart is blessed when His children do things He loves, rise up to defend us. David knew that and sang about it like this: 

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield. (Psalm 5:11-12 NKJV)

So, as the season of “joy” begins to unfold again this year, why not approach it from a different perspective? Why not shift our focus from doing what makes us feel good to endeavoring to bring joy to the heart of the One who gave “everything for us?” We might just find ourselves building strength in ways that hours in the gym can’t produce.

TWEETABLES ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through “X” . . .

• • They didn’t realize the joy of the Lord that Nehemiah called for could bring much more than a few happy moments of singing, dancing and feeling good. It could become both the source and definition of the strength they would need in the days ahead! @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • What the Jews didn’t realize was that the joy of the Lord that Nehemiah called for could bring much more with it than a few happy moments of singing, dancing, and feeling good. It could become both the source and definition of the strength they would need in the days ahead! @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • What if the ‘joy of the Lord’ refers not to our joy, but to the joy that God, Himself, experiences as a result of His relationship with us? And if so, how could it possibly translate into something that becomes the definition of our ‘strength’? @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

Check out Ron’s book, “Right Side Up Thinking in an Upside Down World ~ Looking at the World through the Lens of Biblical Truth” 

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