Joy of the Lord

I am grateful to God for reminding me why God is so lovable. [Brace yo'self, Effie! Here comes a sermon-ette. :) ]

I believe that the joy of the Lord is having confidence in God's unfailing character and promise to do good things, including marrying both favor and justice.

A Bible study I am in is studying the fruit of the Spirit. This past week was on joy. A woman in the group referenced James 1:2-3, which reads: "Consider it pure joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." The verse and God's recent help through my prelims spoke to me. The lesson: Joy, like all the other fruits of the Spirit, is not a discipline; it is not something we do or maintain. It is the natural output of God.

Neither is joy something that is supposed to exist above and beyond our circumstances. Joy is situational. We consider it pure joy when we face trials, because that is when joy manifests. Joy manifests when our faith is tested because joy is the confidence that God is faithful to bring us through our tests and trials. We will not be consumed. Paraphrasing Habakkuk, though our trials (or conquerors, in his case) threaten to destroy us, "We will not die." Therefore, we have joy in circumstances because we do not fret. The trial reminds us of the certainty that God will bring us through. Joy is the opposite of fear. Joy is not elation; joy is calm under fire. Joy is not happiness; joy is confidence.

God is teaching me these lessons in the context of my life-long struggle with anxiety. As almost all of you know, anxiety has been the defining trial of my life. God has used the last 6 years, and mostly extremely helpful non-Christian people and secular settings, to teach me to have confidence in God. My prelims were the most recent example. God reminded me just before and during the week-long exams of God's long record of always bringing me through trials and [metaphorical] tests. Therefore, I could relax, knowing, as the old song says, "God did not bring us this far to leave us."

Thinking on the lessons of joy, I noticed something I had never noticed before. [Cue Andy Rooney] "Have you ever noticed..." that trials and tragedy often follow biblical miracles? Consider the biblical record. God creates the universe—next chapter, men introduce death; God speaks to Moses through the burning bush—immediately, Moses has to face Pharaoh and a skeptical Hebrew people; God frees the Hebrews from slavery (complete with reparations!)—Israel must walk through a desert; God brings down the walls of Jericho—Israel is thrust into centuries of constant existential wars; God speaks through fire--Elijah must immediately run for his life….You get the point.

A rather odd pattern.  But God is showing us that miracles are purposeful.  They do more than evidence God's existence.  Miracles strengthen our faith and prepare us to experience joy in the forthcoming trial.  Therefore, the trial does not have to be anxiety-producing.  It may be difficult, even tragic--and it should definitely be highly emotional.  But the difficulty and emotion need not include questions of what our end will be.  Certainty of a God-produced ending is comforting through the trial.