Galatians 5:22 But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows... (The Passion Translation)
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, which means it comes from God. Joy is His idea and it is essential to His being. I like to think of joy as a persevering gladness that comes from a confident rest in the sovereignty and goodness of God.
Psalm 16:11 - In the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy and at His right hand our pleasures forever more.
In Psalm 45 we discover the recipe for joy:
Psalm 45:7-8 - God has anointed you with the oil of joy above all your companions. All your robes are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
Biblically, myrrh represents sorrow, aloes represent healing, and cassia (similar to cinnamon), the quintessential spice, symbolizes abundant life. So here we have the recipe for experiencing joy: sorrow, healing, and abundant life.
Joy is not the opposite of sorrow; joy is what happens when you bring your sorrow to Jesus and let Him heal you and fill you with this love and delight. Joy is a process that begins with suffering and leads to life and life even more abundantly.
Psalm 126:5 - Those who sow with tears will reap with shouts of joy.
So, whether you're currently experiencing blessing or adversity in this season, there's joy to be found in the Lord as we submit to His processes of bringing us closer to Him.
Comments