Before we address how to rejoice in the Lord as a way of life it is very important to know that “joy,” in the biblical sense is a completely different state than being “happy” in the earthly sense. Joy in Christ is a positive frame of heart and mind that comes directly from our ongoing saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Since it is centered on our Lord’s unchanging love it is not dependent on our worldly circumstance. This is why it has often been said that Christians are the only people on earth who can know joy even in the midst of great loss or sorrow.
By contrast, happiness, while in no way a bad thing in and of itself, is usually dependent on whatever our perceived situation in life is right now. In fact, the Latin root for the word “happy” comes from the same one that gives us the English word “happenstance.” Note the “-stance” part of that word. The truth is that Happiness depends on circumstance. We can only be happy if we perceive things are “going our way.” When they suddenly do not seem to be anymore, we are likely to feel our happiness evaporate.
The Bible does not condemn happiness, but it does speak of something far greater, a state of being that is supremely “positive” without being grounded on anything in this fallen world. That something is joy. To access the potential of this much longer-lasting gift from God we must start with a conscious decision to seek it. How do we do that? The answer is found primarily in prayer and in knowing the joy of the God we serve by better knowing, and living in the truth of, His word. So, what do we pray and what do we read? That will be the subject of Part IV next Tuesday.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” -Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)
