The joy of
the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) But what does that even mean?
The question of joy has fascinated me ever since I was a teenager. What exactly
is it and how is it different than happiness? There’s no question that there is
a difference. Happiness is that giddy feeling that makes you smile from ear to
ear and maybe dance a jig and laugh out loud when everything seems right in
your world. Is that what joy is, or is there more? The Bible says we are to
rejoice in ALL things, yet heartbreak and struggle are a normal part of every life.
Grief and sadness don’t seem compatible with smiles and laughter. I am
convinced that the joy Nehemiah was talking about is something that goes far
deeper than mere happiness. Joy must be possible even in those times when
happiness is not. What exactly would that look like?
The picture that came to my mind when I asked that question
was of two hands clasped as the world and all of life rolled by in the
background, my hand clasped firmly in the strong hand of my Heavenly Father.
The picture had a feeling of ‘rightness’ about it. I recently heard someone
define joy as it is spoken of in the Bible as “the deep satisfaction and sense
of fulfillment that comes out of relationship with God”. We were created with a
need for intimacy that finds its fullest expression in the presence of God
whose love for us is beyond anything we could imagine. Joy is rooted in relationship.
The joy of the Lord is rooted in my relationship with Him.
I have come to believe that joy is knowing that I am not
alone, and that no matter what storm I find myself engulfed in, I am utterly
secure in His love. It makes peace possible in the chaos. It is comfort in my
times of sadness. It gives me strength to take the next step when my own
strength isn’t enough. It feels like hope. There may be times when it makes me
want to sing and laugh and dance for sheer happiness, but mostly it’s a quiet
thing that lies just below the surface.
It is in His presence, in my relationship with Him, that I will
find the fullness of joy. I suspect I haven’t even begun to plumb its depths.
It’s in the crucible of this crazy, unpredictable life that I begin to see the
true worth of having my hand held securely in His. I’ll hold that picture of
joy in my heart forever. It truly is all the strength I need.
