The Day the Music Died

 Joy When Life Isn’t Joyful

We throw the word joy around pretty casually.

Coffee brings me joy.

A good hair day brings me joy.

Finding money in a coat pocket I haven’t worn since last winter brings me great joy.

But biblical joy is something deeper.

Happiness usually depends on what is happening around us. Joy depends on what we know to be true about God.

And that is good news, because what is happening around us can change before lunch.

One Facebook post, one unexpected bill, one aggravating person, or one red light when you are already late—and suddenly all that happiness you had at 8:00 a.m. has packed a bag and left town.

Psalm 16:11 says:

“In Your presence is fullness of joy.”

That means real joy isn’t found in perfect circumstances. It is found in the presence of God.

In John 15:11, Jesus said He wanted His joy to remain in us and for our joy to be full.

Notice He didn’t say, “I hope everything goes your way.”

He didn’t say, “May nobody annoy you today.”

He didn’t even say, “May all your children make wise decisions!”

Now, that one would certainly make a mama happy—but give me something deeper.

Give me true joy.

Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit.

We cannot manufacture it by grinning harder and repeating inspirational sayings while secretly wanting to throw something.

It comes from God.

But since every day isn’t filled with roses and sweet tea, can we experience joy and sorrow in the same heart?

I can say from experience that we can.

When my first husband died tragically, leaving me a widow at only 34, I experienced overwhelming heartache and grief. But wrapped within that sorrow was something else—and it is a very big something else.

There was warmth. There was peace. There was an unexplainable comfort that could only have come from God.

There was still joy.

I was not happy that he died. Joy did not erase my grief or make the loss less painful. It simply reminded me that even in the darkest moment of my life, I was not alone.

We can be disappointed and still have joy.

We can be waiting on God and still have joy.

We can even say, “Lord, I do not like this one bit,” and still trust Him.

That may be one of the truest expressions of faith.

James tells us to consider our trials joy—not because trouble is fun, but because God can use those trials to mature and strengthen our faith.

Nobody gets a flat tire and shouts, “Praise the Lord—character development!”

Usually, it is more like, “Did I pray for patience again?”

What about my coworker or my friend who does not attend church? Can people who don’t know Christ experience joy?

Certainly, they can experience a semblance of it.

People everywhere experience laughter, family, friendship, celebration, love, and the ordinary pleasures of life.

But Scripture describes something deeper for the believer—a joy produced by the Holy Spirit and rooted in Christ.

It isn’t merely positive thinking.

It isn’t pretending everything is fine.

It isn’t denial.

For the believer, joy does not require life to cooperate.

Christians can, however, lose the feeling of that joy.

External noise can drown it out. We can find ourselves trusting God with one hand while hanging tightly to our problem with the other.

That is when we must pray, “Lord, I give this to You.”

Recently, a coworker and I were going through a stressful season at work. Around that time, we attended a nonprofit event where the speaker talked about finding joy exactly where you are.

The message reminded us that no matter what problems we were facing at work, they did not have the power to steal the joy God had given us.

My friend had once won a decorative sign bearing the word JOY at a Christmas party. She later sold it to another coworker for ten dollars.

I accused her—tongue in cheek, of course—of selling her joy for ten bucks.

So, I bought another JOY sign and placed it on her desk.

“I have returned your joy,” I told her.

I now have one in my office too.

We made it through that difficult season, and the sign remains as a reminder: I am not going to forget that I have joy—or where my joy comes from.

David prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”

Sometimes worry steals the feeling of it.

Sometimes bitterness steals it.

Sometimes sin clouds it.

Sometimes the evil and darkness around us oppress us, and we fail to lean on Christ.

And sometimes we become so focused on everything that is wrong that we forget everything that is still right.

We start telling ourselves:

I’ll have joy when this problem is solved.

When that prayer is answered.

When the kids straighten up.

When the economy improves.

When everybody finally starts behaving the way I think they should.

Well, that last one could be a very long wait.

Joy doesn’t have to wait for everything to be fixed.

Christian joy isn’t believing that everything will turn out exactly the way we want.

It is knowing that no matter how things turn out, we still have Christ.

Happiness asks:

“What is happening to me?”

Joy asks:

“Who is holding me?”

And when the answer is Jesus, even on the hardest days, we still have a reason to rejoice.

Take a deep breath. Whisper a prayer—even if you cannot find the words. Praise the Father with reverence and awe. Let His peace, which surpasses all understanding, pour over your soul.

That is where joy begins bubbling up again—not because life has suddenly become joyful, but because the source of our joy has never changed.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.”

—Romans 15:13