Rediscovering JoySample

How many of us recall from ours or our children's childhoods the levity and delight we felt as we belted out the lyrics, “I have the joy, joy, joy, joy, Down in my heart, (where?) Down in my heart, (where?) Down in my heart, I have the joy, joy, joy, joy, Down in my heart, (where?) Down in my heart to stay?" Rarely do we find a child not smiling as he or she waves his or her hands in the air and dances with full might to that song. 

But look closer. This song, although emotionally powerful, is fueled by a somber reality for many of us: joy is down in our hearts—perhaps so far down and hidden that we have lost what it means to be joyful! 

After the year that we just experienced, it is not unexpected that we would have been sitting in places of anxiety and fear more often than not. If this is you, don’t despair! This is because joy—that vibrant cheerfulness that is rooted in God’s goodness—is a gift that God is continually offering to us if we just take it.

Author and scholar C.S. Lewis reminds us of something critical: “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” We will explore this more on Day 7, but for now here is what we know: Scripture is clear that joy, and its companion of delight, are not reserved for heaven. Far from it! It’s a gift for today.

Psalm 37:4 commands us to: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence…” And Isaiah 61:10 says, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.”

If we look at these verses together, we see a pattern, and it’s this: the outcome of time with the Lord is an endless array of other good gifts. Author A.W. Tozer wrote a masterpiece on the topic of joy and delight called Delighting in God. In it, Tozer says, “It is one thing to have a lot of information about God, but it is another thing to bask in the warmth and reality of His presence.” 

Delighting in God begins simply with spending time with God and experiencing His great love for you! In fact, Tozer explains, “God’s greatest delight is to bring [us] into His presence.” 

He is calling out to you to come near and to experience this love. Today, take a few minutes to do just that. 

Tomorrow, we will look at what having joy means and how it was demonstrated fully in God’s first acts of Creation.