PATHWAYS TO FAITH: Seek Real Joy?

At Psalm 51:12 (NKJV), we hear David, in his prayer of repentance, pleading with God: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” David is clearly asking God to give him a special peace beyond that which could come from material blessings. Note that David is asking to be upheld in the spiritual realm, not in the natural, material sphere where so many of us look to find our joy.

To appreciate this blessing, we must first discern the difference between happiness and joy in the eyes of the Lord. In the secular world, we often hear individuals refer to situations and circumstances in their lives as happy times or happy occasions. Rarely do we hear the word joy used by those who are still unbelievers. I believe most people have never taken the time to understand the difference between the terms joy and happiness as they are used in the Bible.

In The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson, he defines happiness as “a sense of well-being or pleasure.” Erickson defines joy as “a sense of satisfaction and delight that is not affected by circumstances.” Notice that Erickson makes a distinction between happiness and joy in terms of what aspects of our being are affected by our state of mind, whether happy or joyful.

By these definitions, we can easily see that happiness is a pleasurable reaction to positive natural experiences or circumstances. For example, if we receive a gift or achieve a preset goal, our natural man is pleased, and we then say we are happy. Conversely, when we speak of joy, we observe that our satisfaction comes from within and is not tied to the natural situations or circumstances we may be experiencing.

For example, we often see people of faith with little or no personal material possessions, yet they have great peace and are filled with love for others. This is a form of biblical joy that comes from within because of an abiding, steadfast faith in God. The source of their joy is found in their faith in God and in their personal comfort in knowing Him. These believers do not receive their joy – spiritual peace – from material things as the natural man seeks happiness.

The natural man is unhappy when he does not possess material things such as money, food, clothing, houses, land, titles, influence, and the like. (See Matthew 6:25-34.) Jesus makes it very clear that we are not to concern ourselves with these things, but rather that we should find our joy – abiding inner peace – in the Lord. (See verses 33-34.)

At Romans 14:17 (NKJV), the Apostle Paul reminds us: “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” This is the real joy mentioned in Philippians 4:7, where Paul speaks of “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, [and] will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Remember that the very first psalm in the Book of Psalms teaches us that “Blessed (happy) is the man who does not walk in the counsel (fellowship) of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.” Verse 2 shows us that our delight – our joy – is in the law of the Lord, the Word of God, and that we should spend our time meditating on this Word day and night.

When we learn to walk, stand, and sit according to the Word of the Lord, then we will experience real joy. The joy of the Lord is your strength to endure the storms of this life. Our prayer should always be, “Lord, give me joy.”

Dr. Holley is the Senior Pastor at Pathways Christian Fellowship in Bradenton, Florida.

Contact Dr. Holley at Wholley777@aol.com., PathwaysChristiancfc.org