I'm so struck with Rabbi Jacobsen's comments from his radio show. Especially the last paragraph I shared, where he said, "The argument that I’m submitting to all of you is, that joy is something that each of us has in our hearts. Even if you are the saddest person and you haven’t smiled in years, you have a joy, a gladness in your heart, that may in some way be blocked or sealed away because you may not feel that there’s any reason to access it, but it’s there, and the key is learning how to dig into those reservoirs and draw from those wells of joy."
Doesn't it make sense that God would create us with joy? Joy is discussed 244 times in the Bible. (Compare that to the topic of hell - which is mentioned 162 times.) 1 Chronicles 16:27 says, "Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place." So many times in the Bible, joy is presented side by side with strength. JOY is a strong word; it takes a strong person to have JOY. Look at Nehemiah 8:10: "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Joy isn't being slap happy; it isn't hyper happiness; it's not loud and obnoxious. Joy is the iron man, the triathlete; joy keeps everything going. Are you exhausted? Overwhelmed, overworked? Sad? Depressed? Anxious? Choose joy. Seek joy. Be joy.
Ask God to reveal to you what joy looks like. Perhaps it's been a very long time since you've seen it! Look again at Nehemiah 8:10. Joy is God's characteristic - "the joy of the Lord" - and it's a byproduct of a relationship with Him. He commands us to have it while graciously and lovingly showing us what it looks like.
Look at God's characteristics, if you are unsure of what joy looks like. Joy is found in creation - a beautiful sunrise, a new snow, the smell of springtime. It's found in the creation of man - from the newness of babies to marriages that are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversaries.
Joy brings honor. Joy brings worship. Joy brings life. Choose life today. Choose joy. Shout your praise!
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