Joy- Something to Shout About!

The other day I was reminded of the power of joy. The Bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV). What does that mean? First off, you see that this joy is of and from the Lord. In other words, the Lord is the source of joy. You’ve probably heard of the phrase, “This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away”. To further take it home, let’s look at the definition of source. According to Oxford Languages, source means a place, person, or thing from which something comes or can be obtained. Meriam-Webster defines source as someone or something that provides what is needed. When we know that the Lord is our source period, then we know that we can draw from Him whatever we have need of to include joy. I dare you to stop right now and give the Lord a shout of praise! Joy is an outward expression that originates from within. Joy represents full reliance and trust in God (no matter the circumstances), which empowers and strengthens a believer. You see, joy comes from having a relationship with God. Knowing God is to know joy. I pray that you will be overwhelmed by the joy of the Lord. Below I have listed some ways to tap into that joy as well as benefits of joy. Rejoicing is a choice. Choose joy- now that’s something to shout about!

Ways to Tap Into Joy:

Thanksgiving– You can’t separate thanksgiving and joy! We all have something to be thankful for. Remembering what God has done is one way to stir up joy (Psalms 105:5 NKJV). Philippians 4:4 (NKJV) says, rejoice in the Lord always (not sometimes or when you feel like it).

Shout for Joy– Sometimes we have to shout for joy (Psalms 5:11 NKJV; Psalms 32:11 NKJV). Praising and worshipping God is one way that we can shout for joy. There’s something about praising and worshipping God that not only causes joy, which is the source of our strength, but also causes circumstances to change. Praise is what caused the chains to break off of Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25-26 NKJV). Shouting played a role in causing the walls of Jericho to fall (Joshua 6:1-21 NKJV).

Count It all Joy– The Bible says to count it all joy when faced with various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (James 1:2-3 NKJV). Furthermore, it says let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing (James 1:4 NKJV). This is my favorite Scripture. My life has been a testament of letting patience have its perfect work, which results in lacking nothing.

Stay in His Presence– In His presence is fullness of joy (Psalms 16:11 NKJV).

Benefits of Joy:

Strength– As stated earlier, the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV).

Representing the Father– Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22 NKJV) that we as believers should be walking in. The fruits of the Spirit reflect characteristics of God. You can tell when someone is really trusting God because they’re joyful (Psalms 5:11 NKJV).

Drawing from the Wells of Salvation-Joy is one way to tap into the deeper things of God. The Bible says, with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3 NKJV). Note that joy is how we draw water from the wells of salvation. To me, water symbolizes strength and sustainment (and is a mighty moving force) and the wells of salvation symbolize the Spirit of God living on the inside of us. Furthermore, a well symbolizes the deep. God wants us to go deeper in what He has for us. The word salvation means wholeness (completeness). Just like in the natural our body needs nourishment, so does our spirit. Joy helps build up our spirit and allows us to tap into sustaining power and strength that comes from the wells of salvation (the Spirit of God) on the inside of us.

Changing the atmosphere– A joyful spirit changes the atmosphere/circumstances. A joyful spirit causes chains to break and walls to fall.