The Joy Of The Lord

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 1 Peter 1:8

The Joy of the Lord has to be genuine.   Last Sunday evening in worship service I was inspired by the song service.  The worship leader, John, was radiating with the joy of the Lord.  You could see a spiritual strength and confidence that just made our time of celebrating the Saviour powerful.  

The joy of the Lord cannot be faked. It doesn't come from motivation or charisma.  It doesn't come success or prosperity.   It doesn't come from an upbeat song.  There is a Scriptural formula that I see.

• A genuine relationship with God
• Revelation from the Word of God
• Sorrow for sin
• Obedience to God

^{I see this illustration in Psalm 30}

⁴Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

 ⁵For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Also in Psalm 33. 
King Josiah is another great example of this.    2 Kings 22:7-20

It sounds like a paradox that sorrow has to precede the greatest joy possible.  We don't think of short comings, disappointments, being reminded of our sins and mistakes and having our faults pointed out to us as bringing joy.    However, if we are talking about the joy of the Lord we are saying that the Lord is the source of that joy.    Sin keeps us from being in a right relationship with the One we really love and who really loves us.   There is nothing better than fixing a relationship.   The void that every person has in their heart is the place where God belongs.  Other relationships cannot fill that.  Even if they are good relationships they still cannot satisfy.

 Even the child of God has faults that he hasn't dealt with.  When we dig into the Word and see our faults we need to feel a genuine sorrow for those sins and bring them to the cross in repentance. When we do this God comes in and fills that void.  By grace He makes us clean and puts us in right standing with Him and there is nothing more exciting or fulfilling as that.  The joy of the Lord is your strength.   Even the verse that tells us this illustrates this point.

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.  Nehemiah 8:8-10

The sacrifice for our sins has been paid by Jesus.  Every day is the day the Lord has made.  It doesn't matter the troubles you face or the problems you have.  What matters is you are forgiven and that is reason for you to have the joy of the Lord be your strength!

Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16:20

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.  Psalm 30:11-12

There Is Joy in the Lord - the Worship Songs of Cheri Keaggyitunes

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