The joy of the Lord is tricky because it is not something that you get on your own. We talk about it. We sing about it. “This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me…” And we quote “joy” Scriptures. We crave it, confess it and believe in the importance of joy. After all, it is one of those fruits of the Spirit that we should have. So, I began to wonder, how do we get it? There are plenty of reasons to be sad and heavy hearted in our personal lives – ailing parents, loss of loved ones, challenging marriages, debt, children, family members, and unfulfilling jobs. And there are societal ills that we face whether we engage them or not – racism, sexism, nasty politics, unfair economic systems, poverty, church leadership scandal and hurts, pandemic and continued national upheaval. It might be helpful to have a little joy.

So what is joy anyway? There is no direct definition in the Bible, not like “love is” or “faith is.” So I checked the next best authority and Google said that joy is “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.”  Though many reject feelings altogether (another day), I’m content to use this definition as a starting point. It may be that joy is one of those things that you can’t define as much as you can describe. So, let’s just say that joy is a consistent underlying feeling of great pleasure, happiness, and excitement residing in your soul which is not based on place, position, or circumstances.

Sounds good, so how do we get it?  The psalmist said that in the presence of God there is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11). We must get ourselves into the presence of the Lord where we will not just have joy, but joy-FULL!! DOUBLE JOY! The FULLNESS of Joy!! Then in spite of it all, we will have an underlying consistent almost giddiness operating in our lives. And we need joy, because Nehemiah said that the  joy of the Lord is our strength! (Neh 8:10). We don’t just desire the joy of the Lord, we need the joy of the Lord! It is our strength!! The joy of the Lord is our place of safety, our refuge, our stronghold in the midst of all of our turmoil!

So, let’s keep praying, let’s keep encouraging, let’s keep believing, let’s keep seeking justice, and let’s also get into the presence of the Lord! Put on your “praise” music! Lift up your voice and make a joyful noise to the Lord! Come into his presence with singing! Know that he is God! We are his people! Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks! Bless his name! For he is good and his mercy lasts forever! DOUBLE JOY! 

Also see Double Peace by clicking here.