Tag Archives: unshakable joy

Our Highest Joy (Remaining Cheerful )

All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15 NASB).

Solomon wrote that all the days of the afflicted are bad. Afflicted – poor, humble, wretched, needy and lowly. Though this might not describe all our days, most of us have experienced times of affliction. But, in his wisdom, Solomon gave us a remedy. We need a cheerful heart. If we have that, he says we’ll have a continual feast, the longings of our hearts will stay satisfied. No more searching for someone or somebody to fill our deep desires. A cheerful heart will fill us up to overflowing joy.

This sounds exciting, but how does it play out in the moments of our lives? Sometimes the condition of our hearts hang in the balance, based on how we’re feeling or what’s going on around us. What’s the secret of having and maintaining a cheerful heart and how do we walk in continual spiritual nourishment?

What is a Cheerful Heart?

The Hebrew word translated as “cheerful” in the above verse has a wide variety of meanings. Agreeable to the senses, such as fair to the sight, sweet to the taste, fragrant to the smell and as a cooling shadow of a tree. This brings the word into a context we can relate to in our experience, but it also encompasses terms of a broader, higher nature such as beautiful, pleasant, excellent, fruitful, fertile, advantageous, choice, fine, pure, goodly, valuable, better, merry, glad.

As I read these descriptions of the word Solomon used, I sense its magnitude and  “out of this world” richness. It congers up thoughts and feelings of complete peace and bliss, like being nurtured under the mighty wings of God.

He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may take refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and wall (Psalm 91:4 NASB).

I think of what David declared in Psalm 4:7 You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine abound (NASB).

And verses like: “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1b NIV)

and

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good (Psalms 73:28a NASB)

The bottom line is that God Himself is the true source of our joy. As David wrote, In your presence is fullness of Joy” (Psalms 16:11b NASB).

Though our hearts are cheered by the beauties of His creation, only God Himself can give us the kind of continual gladness which produces an ongoing buffet of spiritual nourishment.

Maintaining a Cheerful Heart.

It doesn’t have to take a difficult trial or sadness to get me off track. On any normal day I can easily rely on what’s around me to keep my heart encouraged. But eventually, this always leaves me empty. In my experience, it’s not what’s going on around me or even how I’m feeling which strengthens my heart and gives me courage.  Maintaining a joyful, cheerful heart has everything to with the focus of my worship.

Worship – to give worth or worthiness.

We all have an ongoing decision to make. Are we going to choose, as David did in the following verse, to worship God as our one desire? One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple (Psalm 27:4 NASB).

Or, are we going to put greater worth on our circumstances and how we feel?

This is not a one and done decision for the day. Delighting in the Lord, and not in how we’re doing, is a moment by moment choice. 

Over time, in countess turnings of our gaze back to Him, we begin to understand.

God Himself is not only the reason for our cheerful hearts but also the source of nourishment which fully satiates our souls with the bounties of His goodness.

Prayer

Lord, You fill my heart to overflowing with the beauties of Your magnificence. Please keep me focused on You. I want You to always by my one true worship. I depend upon You and Your Indwelling Spirit to keep me in the shadow of Your wings. Show me quickly when my hearts shifts to worshipping my own comfort. Teach me to trust in Your love and Your greater purposes.  I lay my life and my story at Your feet. I delight in the rich, sweetness of Your goodness.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)  

Amen.

 

Previous posts in the series – Our Highest Joy:

Unmasking the Lie

Dealing with sadness and disappointment

Eternal Thanksgiving

Fueled by the Joy of Jesus

God with Us

Fixing Our Hope

.Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

 

Our Highest Joy (Fixing Our Hope )

Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:13 NASB).

Our hope needs fixing; at least mine does. I’m guilty of tying my sense of well-being to my circumstances. I want to fix my hope on something more substantial than a smoother year in 2021. With the deep division in our country, the global pandemic and plenty of natural disasters, having our stability tied to temporal happiness is a recipe for an emotional roller coaster ride. As mentioned previously, we were designed to find our joy in Eternal God, not in how our life is going. Our health, our relationships, our finances, or our jobs are flimsy structures to hang our hopes on. Unless we fix our hope, our courage to face the day’s activities and challenges hangs in the balance.

The Link Between Hope and Courage

As a noun, hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and trust that a certain thing will happen. Dr. David Rubin wrote, “Hope is a critical component of the complete care of a patient.”[1] Hope is critical to the human psyche. Without it, discouragement sets in.

When we’re in the midst of difficulties, we can fear our lives will never get better. With our hope fixed on circumstances, nagging, long lasting trials can drain us and zap us of the joy our hearts so desperately need. 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NASB).

When difficulties come, Jesus tells us to take courage.  Be encouraged, not because we hope things will get better, but because Jesus has overcome the world.

Fixing Our Hope on Jesus

In the first verse quoted above, Peter charges us to keep our minds unhindered.  This includes not attaching our sense of well-being to ANY situation, relationship, or temporal joy. He tells us to fix our hope COMPLETELY on the grace to be given us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Don’t miss this. Our hope needs to be ONLY in Jesus.

Paul says the same thing in Colossians 3:1-2. He reminds us that since we’ve been raised with Christ, we should orient our lives from where we sit with Him above, not on how things are going on earth.   

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.

Then he tells us how:

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4 NASB).

It’s not about us. We’ve been crucified with Jesus and raised with Him in newness of life.[2] Jesus is our life. As believers, we’re free to rest in His life and not fret about ours. We’re in Christ and He’s in us. We’re enclosed round about and hidden in His life. The pressure is off for us having to keep trying to finding temporal happiness to remain hopeful.

But What do we do About our Sadness?

It’s great to be heavenly minded, but what do we do with life’s sadness? Some situations don’t seem to ever get better. I used to smile through them and deny their gravity, but this “grin and bear it” approach is not the answer. It produces an inauthentic, plastic kind of “joy”.

I’m learning how to embrace the fact that sadness is a part of life. And it has it’s place. When I feel sad, I cry out to Jesus. My grief becomes an invitation to call the Lord near. The pain is real, but in the midst, my Comforter brings a strange, unshakable joy.

Hardships can propel me to Jesus and keep me from fixing my hope on anything but Him.

Prayer

Lord, Your ways are so much higher than mine. I have no idea how You keep me encouraged through life’s trials. What a beautiful mystery. And because You’ve been my longstanding Comfort through it all, my Joy in You grows deeper every day. And I get to share what You’ve done for me with others.[3]   I pray I would always be more concerned about loving the people you bring my way than how I feel. I know you care about me and I trust You with my life.[4]

Amen.

 [1] The Importance of Hope in Medical Care – Gastro-Intestinal Research Foundation (giresearchfoundation.org)

[2] Romans 6:3-11

[3] 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

[4] I Peter 5:6-7

Previous posts in the series – Our Highest Joy:

Unmasking the Lie

Dealing with sadness and disappointment

Eternal Thanksgiving

Fueled by the Joy of Jesus

God with Us

.Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains