There have been many firsts of January when I couldn’t wait to say goodby to the previous year in hopes of a better tomorrow. For many, January first is a promise of a fresh start. We make resolutions and set goals. The problem is, just because we buy a new calendar doesn’t mean our problems from the previous year magically disappear.
One of these bad years for me was 2019. My house flooded twice and we lived out of suitcases for months. Our only employee stole money from us and then quit without notice when confronted about the theft. Within days I was back to working full time to take his place and, for the first time, put my unsuspecting two-year-old into daycare. Then, I was accused of un-forgiveness by my pastor and kicked out of church. All of this was more than I could handle, so I had a complete mental breakdown and was subsequently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My relationships, especially my marriage, were strained because of my inability to process my life. It was a nightmare of a year and I couldn’t expect 2020 to be better just because the calendar changed.
Every year for several years now, I pray to God and ask him to give me a word to focus on that year. Ironically, the word he gave me in 2019 was joy. What a contrast that word was to the events in my life that year. I really struggled to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) when my world around me was falling apart. Along with the word, joy, God led me to a passage from Psalms.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
Psalm 126:5 (ESV)
I tried to hold onto the hope that the many tears I shed that year would produce joy when life got better, but I eventually just gave up. Why? Because my search for joy came in my own strength and not by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Joy is not a feeling to be mustered. We can’t just dig up joy from our innermost being. It is not an act, or if we make it an act, that kind of joy cannot last. Joy is not a feeling, it is a fruit of the Spirit.
True joy comes from full surrender in our savior, Jesus Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23a (ESV)
Everything in this list, including joy, comes from an outpouring of God’s Spirit in your life. So, the question isn’t so much whether or not you are experiencing joy, but whether or not you are filled with the Spirit.
What is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is part of the triune God–God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. When you become a Christian, you receive the Holy Spirit. He is Christ living in you. While the Holy Spirit is always a part of you, he can be dormant if not accessed. You make a conscious decision to surrender to Christ–to set aside yourself–and lean on him–or be filled with the Holy Spirit.
You can learn more about the Holy Spirit at cru.org.
Where Joy Comes From
We can’t depend on our circumstances to fill us with joy. Little bursts of happiness can come here and there from our circumstances. When there’s a job promotion, a marriage proposal, a baby being born, for example, pleasure is pronounced. But what about the mundane every day? Or worse, when you are enduring a trial of some sort?
Joy, a product of the Holy Spirit living in you, comes only from the Lord.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:11-12 (ESV)
Joy is absent in the absence of God. Unless we have repented of our sins and received Christ’s salvation to restore our relationship with God, we can’t experience true joy.
Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Psalm 43:3-5 (ESV)
Note how this verse says, “To God my exceeding joy.” God is joy, not me. God gives us joy, even in our turmoil. We can be going through something hard and God can supernaturally fill us with his joy because we have faith that he will help us in our trials.
For you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
Psalm 63:7
We Are Called to Joy
Joy is not just a desire we have. It is something God has called us to. To rejoice is the act of being joyful. God commands us to rejoice in him throughout the old and new testaments. Joy, like love, is not optional.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Philippians 4:4 (ESV)
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32:11 (ESV)
These verses, and others like them, don’t command joy conditionally. We are all to rejoice always. Joy, like God’s love, is unconditional.
How Hardships Illuminate Joy
Hardship grows us. Becoming nearer to God through our trials by growing in our faith brings joy.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4 (ESV)
What could bring more joy than becoming closer to God? How do we become closer to God? By allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to lift us up in our trials.
Finally, we get to experience joy when we take the time to praise God amidst our trials. So many of the psalms speak to this.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Psalm 98:4 (ESV)
When we put our body and mind in the right space, our spirit will follow. Going to the Lord in worship opens us up to the filling of the Holy Spirit. Don’t confuse this with works! We don’t do anything to earn God’s grace, but when we open ourselves up to him and acknowledge his greatness, he shows up in our lives in mighty ways.
Maybe you are going into the new year hoping for a fresh start, but a change in calendar will not change your circumstances. What you really need is to experience the joy of the Lord despite your current hardships. Joy is not something you can manufacture. It’s a gift of the spirit. Pray for God to fill you with his Spirit. Take time to praise him for his greatness. And know that God will strengthen you through your trials. Instead of expecting a fresh start in the new year, pray for God’s grace and mercy to get you through and fill you with his joy.
Bethany Marinelli is an author and speaker out of Orlando, Florida. She also supports her husband, Andrew, in his auto repair business and homeschools her son, Arthur.
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