Joy Comes in the Morning

Scriptures: Hebrews 12:2, Genesis 50:19-20, 1 Chronicles 16:27, Psalms 16:11

“Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” – C.S. Lewis 

Let’s start with this question – If you could have joy for the rest of your life, would you choose to? When I hear that question, my first thought is: That sounds crazy. How is that even possible? What about my other feelings? What about when I don’t “feel” joyful? What about when people hurt me? I surely can’t choose joy all the time on this side of heaven, could I?

I’m here to tell you that feeling and having joy is more of a choice than you think. A lot of people say joy and happiness aren’t the same thing and I agree to a certain extent, but what is joy without happiness? When you think of Jesus, do you think he was joyful but not happy? When you hear this next verse, I want you to picture Him smiling with happiness at you, because He is.

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2

For the joy that was set before Him, He went to the cross for you and for me. But something I don’t think many people realize is that yes, He endured the cross for our sin and rebellion, but I also believe He endured the cross so that we could experience heavenly joy in this life, right now. I’m not saying that really hard things don’t call for godly grief and tears and healing, because they definitely do, but when you get to know Christ better and better, He provides an inexpressible joy that doesn’t fade or fluctuate with our emotions. He knows about all the hard days and hard nights you’ve had and He wants to comfort you.

There are so many Bible examples of Jesus showing up in the middle of somebody’s darkest moments and providing not only salvation (which is the most important part) but also joy and peace and love. Before moving on to day 2, I encourage you to meditate on these scriptures and ask God to help you receive and choose true Joy that only He can give.

Scriptures: John 16:33, James 1:2-3, Psalms 126:5, Romans 15:13

“There is a sweet joy that comes to us through sorrow.” – Charles Spurgeon 

Have you ever cried so hard and then started laughing uncontrollably? Maybe it’s just me but this has happened a handful of times in my life where my ugly crying/sobbing has turned into belly laughing simply because of a mindset shift and me realizing that the pain I’m currently experiencing won’t last forever. Our pain can feel so personal and the devil wants us to think that we are the only ones going through whatever we’re going through but I can promise you, we are not. How do I know this? Because Jesus said so:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

One of the reasons Jesus tells us point blank that we will have many troubles and trials is because He wasn’t a stranger to them. He Himself experienced the worst of trials on the cross. His friends abandoned Him, His family questioned Him, and He was constantly being ridiculed, yet He encourages us that if we remain close to Him, we will have peace. So what does that have to do with joy?

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” – James 1:2-3

Troubles and trials can produce joy if we let them. It’s one thing to experience joy just because it’s sunny outside and you’ve got the windows rolled down, but it’s a whole other level of joy when we choose it in the middle of really bad news or in the midst of heartbreak. Without troubles, our endurance can’t grow, and without endurance, our faith will fail. 

Before moving on to day 3, ask the Lord to give you His perspective on your current situation. Ask Him to teach you to “consider it an opportunity for great joy” during this current situation that you’re walking through.

Scriptures: Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 7:7-8, Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 55:12

“Real joy comes from real love which comes from really knowing Jesus! And all that is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Rolland Baker

My husband and I were friends all through college and we definitely felt that we knew each other, but it wasn’t until we started dating and courting one another that we actually got to know each other. You can’t know someone truly unless you spend time with them. We spent hours and hours together laughing and getting to know each other and the more time we spent getting to know each other, the more we loved each other; and the more we loved each other, the more joy we brought one another. The same is true with Jesus. The more we get to know Him, the more love we will have for Him, and joy will surely follow.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” We may all know this verse by heart but do we understand it? I once heard a pastor say that when we as believers choose to pursue the Lord, or even just pick up our Bibles and read them, that is a work of the Holy Spirit in us. We didn’t come up with salvation and we didn’t come up with the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy; therefore, we can’t create joy in ourselves. It’s a work of the Spirit. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. And so is love for the Lord. I often ask God to give me more love for Him and less love for the things of this world that are quickly passing away. And I have good news… He always gives me more. He will give you more too, especially if you ask.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8

I want to challenge you today to think about what currently brings you joy in your life and ponder the fact that Jesus wants to be the source of all your joy. He wants to reveal Himself to you as a personal friend and companion in a deeper way. It’s easy to think that He is a some-day, far away, in the clouds type of God, but He’s not. He’s always available and His Word is how we get to know Him and experience the joy and peace that surpasses understanding. Before moving on to day 4, let’s be still and get to know God better and better so that our joy can be real. 

Scriptures: Luke 9:23, Ephesians 4:20-24, Psalms 94:19

“Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be light-hearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. It is a cheerful revolt against self and pride.” – Richard J. Foster

It is pretty offensive to our sinful nature, our “old man”, and our flesh, to live like a child full of wonder, awe, and joy. I mean, we have responsibilities and to-do lists and bills to pay, right? How could we be so light-hearted when life is so not sometimes?

I know for me the main reason I tend to get uptight, stressed out, and on edge is solely due to the fact that I am trying to live my life again, have my own way, and do it all by myself. It’s easy to forget and set aside the simple gospel of “deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me” (Luke 9:23) but that is the only way to truly Live with a capital “L”. The reason He told us to deny ourselves is because it’s not safe to follow ourselves or our own wills. His will for your life is good and pleasing and perfect and trusting in Him will result in peace and joy and rest. Obedience to His will shouldn’t feel hard when we know Him. Obeying Christ results in joy.

Before I came to know Christ intimately, I called myself a Christian but had no joy or peace in my life and I was definitely disobedient. People might have described me as a positive, outgoing, and happy girl but my heart was full of regret, selfishness, and pride. I still remember when I met a joyful Christian for the first time and thought she was maybe faking it or just embellishing. Then I met Him for myself and I am now that weird girl who genuinely lives in joy, not because all my circumstances are perfect and all my dreams have come true, but because I obey and follow Jesus.

When we give up our lives and follow Him, we are no longer trying to control the outcome. We can sit back, enjoy His Presence, eat His Word, and allow Him to teach us how to remain joyful and thankful in all circumstances. Before moving on to the last day of this week’s devotional, I pray that you will sit in His Presence and meditate on His Word, allowing the Spirit of God to soften your heart to a life of Joy.

Scriptures: Psalms 30:5, Revelation 21:4

“Though your weeping may last for the night, joy comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5

Think of a time in your life, maybe you’re currently in it, where your weeping lasted all night, where the tears felt like they would never stop. Maybe a loved one passed into eternity or maybe you got your heart broken by a friend or maybe you got results from a doctor you weren’t expecting. Tears, tears, and more tears. Weeping, weeping, and more weeping. Have you been there before? Are you there now? We all have all been there if we’re honest.

But there is good news my friend… There is light, not only at the end of your tunnel, but in the midst of it. He is the Light of the world and He is the Light of your current situation. Your feelings don’t scare Him away and your tears don’t embarrass Him. God longs to comfort you if you’ll let Him. Will you let Him?

Let’s pause and think about the sun setting and rising for a minute. The physical proof of God’s Creation, the sun, is spiritual proof that your tears will go away and your smile will return before long. As the sun goes down and all of us go to sleep, God doesn’t sleep. He sings songs of deliverance over us while we rest and He provides new morning mercies every single morning. You may feel like your life is really hard right now, and maybe it is, but I can promise you that Joy will come. Maybe not tomorrow morning but if you place your eyes back onto God, you will start to remember that He is the one who makes the sun rise and He made your heart too.

Before coming to the end of this 5 day devotional about joy, I want to remind you that if you have placed your trust in Christ and you’ve chosen to follow Him, this world is not your forever home. You won’t always have to deal with tears. In fact, Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 

This is what we have to look forward to and we can experience it in part now, by putting our faith in Christ and Christ alone. I pray that you will step into the fullness of your salvation which includes supernatural love, peace, rest, contentment, and of course joy. Take heart, for He has overcome the world. God bless you!