A Reason For Joy

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good

and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

Do you ever feel down, depressed, or discouraged? What makes you feel this way? Pain, conflict, disappointment, failure? Negative thoughts and emotions are generally the result of bad circumstances and life not going the way we want. People do things to upset, hurt, or pressure us. Things happen beyond our control that make us unhappy, or we let ourselves down with wrong choices that leave us feeling bad or alone. Worry, fear, and stress can also take a toll on our emotions. Sometimes nothing is terribly wrong, but anxiety and the everyday stress of life clouds the joy we long for.

Most of the time there is little or nothing we can do about the behavior of others or unfortunate circumstances. It is what it is, and other than getting upset, angry, or frustrated, it's easy to just turn inward and allow the sadness, despair, or hurt to overtake our day, our week, or our year. And as for failure (real or perceived) we blame ourselves and might vow to try harder, reach our goals, or be a better person, but eventually the renewed strength, determination, and hope will wear off and we find ourselves right back where we started with the same challenges to face and shortcomings to overcome.

The good news? Psalm 100 describes a much different way of thinking and living. It's all about joy and praising God. I first heard this psalm when I was a young girl. It was a part of my Bible education at church, and I memorized it at one time to earn points for going to camp. I always liked it, but I primarily thought of it as something to do when I went to church: To worship Him with songs of praise, as it says; but in reading the words this week, I saw them in a much broader sense. Not only as the elements of worship (joy, gladness, singing, praise, and thankfulness), but also as a means of attaining joy each day. Joy that overcomes any feelings of unhappiness, discouragement, or despair I am experiencing.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

The psalm begins with telling us to express our joy to God and worship Him with gladness, but it's pretty hard to do this if joy and gladness aren't already a part of my heart. God doesn't want me to fake it. He doesn't want me to pretend to be joyful while I'm singing songs of praise and then go home to my real life clouded with depression and failure. He doesn't want me to be joyful for His sake, just to hear me sing a nice song. He wants me to be filled with joy because I know who He is and who I am in His eyes:

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

You are not on this earth by accident. You were created for a purpose. Your life matters to others. You belong to God, and you matter to Him. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me."  Others often make us feel insignificant. They can make us feel stupid, weak, and worthless. We can do a pretty good job of seeing ourselves this way also. Failure (or perceived failure) can be crippling. Difficult circumstances can make us feel alone. We get worried, scared, and don't know what to do. But when I remember my God is near and He cares about me, I don't feel alone anymore. I listen for His voice, and He tells me I am loved. He reminds me I am precious to Him. He points out the road for me to follow and gives me the means to walk it; or He tells me to wait for Him to work things out for my good.

For the LORD is good

and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

God is good. He loves me. He is faithful. Focusing on these simple truths restores my joy. Life will throw all kinds of trials at me. Others will hurt me. People will let me down, and I will often let myself down or just not have the ability to be everything I wish I could be. But God is so much bigger than my everyday worries, problems, and shortcomings. He is bigger than even the bleakest of circumstances. He brings beauty from ashes, hope from despair, and love to my desperate, lonely, or weary soul.

How could believing God is good, He loves you, and trusting in His faithfulness help you cope with whatever is clouding your joy? How could these truths help you have a better outlook on your circumstances? How could His love make you feel better about yourself? Take a moment to write down your thoughts before reading the next paragraph where we will look at another source of joy and gladness.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

Another key to finding joy is thankfulness. When we're facing difficulty or are bothered by difficult people, it's easy to focus on our troubles. But we need to keep our eyes on the good things and the blessings we have. What are you thankful for? What good things happened today or this week? Who has God placed in your life to meet your needs and care for you? What opportunities do you have to get an education, pursue your interests, seek God, and enjoy good relationships? How can the difficult things you are facing be an opportunity for you to trust God more and experience His love and faithfulness? How can God help you to make better choices or reach your goals?

Trying to handle things on your own will often lead to frustration, failure, and more problems. But asking God for His help brings hope and thankfulness when you see Him meeting your needs and filling your heart with peace and joy you thought was out of your reach.

Make a list of everything you're thankful for and see how that makes you feel. How do your blessings remind you of the truth?

Write down everything you need God's help with and ask Him to provide whatever is necessary.

When you are finished writing out your requests, express your thankfulness to God also and remember He is always near. You belong to Him, and you have a reason for joy.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his...

For the LORD is good

and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Opportunity for Joy?

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT

Have you ever had a bad day? A bad week? A bad year? Have you ever faced tough challenges? Perhaps you are going through a difficult time now.

Life can be painful. Others hurt us, disappoint us, and create problems. We often don't know how to respond and get mad, creating more conflict; feel sad or lonely and get depressed; or feel confused, powerless, and generally unhappy. We think, 'Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? Will these troubles ever end?'

As humans we are naturally weak, insecure, afraid, and prone to despair and hopelessness. But trials are one of the ways God makes us stronger. We can't learn to be courageous, confident, and filled with hope if we have never been scared, put-down, or in despair. And everyone faces trials, so it all comes down to how you view them and what you do about it. If you only see them as troubles you wish you didn't have and respond negatively, then they make you weaker; but if you view them as an opportunity to grow and become more than you ever thought you could be, they will make you stronger.

God wants us to overcome our weakness, insecurity, and fear. He is on our side! He can give us the faith, courage, joy, and peace we need to face anything, and all we have to do is ask. Sometimes He gives us these things even when we don't ask, but it's much more valuable to know He is the one helping us because we don't feel so alone and unprotected. We know He is with us. We know He will help. We know He loves us and will always work things out for good.

It's normal to feel scared, alone, and weak when difficult things come your way; don't try to pretend you're fine and put up a tough-front. Instead, admit your need and ask God for help. Believe you are not alone. He knows. He cares. He is with you. And when you believe these things, you will have the courage and confidence to face the difficult times.

This is why James says we should consider these times an opportunity for joy. We can't always feel happy. Sometimes our circumstances just don't allow it, even if you're generally a positive person. But we can always choose joy. Joy is not dependent on our circumstances, but on our attitude toward them. 

So instead of saying, 'Why is this happening to me?' and letting the question remain unanswered, I can know it's happening for a reason and has a purpose, and I can ask God to show me what it is. Instead of saying, 'What did I do to deserve this?', I can know it's not my fault and trust Jesus to use it for my benefit when I turn it all over to Him. And instead of thinking my troubles will never end and just giving up, I can take them one at a time, one day at a time, and ask God to simply give me what I need today.

The LORD is near to all who call on him...He hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:18,19

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him... Romans 15:13