The Advent of Christ - Joy of the Lord

“…You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent…”
Psalm 30:11-12

It’s easy to assume that a Christian is joy-filled because God removed their suffering along with the “sackcloth” or that we are to push through struggles with martyrs’ smiles on our faces. We often don’t understand true joy until we witness it in a God-centered Christian amidst great pain and personal suffering.  

As a new Christian, I saw the joy of the Lord working through a fellow church member, Ina Lomax, who always praised Him despite her suffering. Ina radiated joy, even as Rheumatoid Arthritis racked her body over the years: first imperceptibly, then with noticeably gnarled knuckles and twisted knees and ankles. As the disease progressed, she used a cane, then a walker, then a wheelchair, and finally was home-bound, then bedridden in terrible pain. Through it all, Ina was the living definition of Galatians 5’s fruit of the Spirit: patience (“long-suffering” or “forbearance”), peace, love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, and JOY. Jesus’s love beamed in her heart, transcending Ina’s physical condition. Instead of complaining about her obvious pain, Ina focused on gratitude, intercessory prayer, laughter, and making sure everyone knew Christ’s love for them.  

I visited Ina before she went home to the Lord. Her bed was headquarters for her God-centered life: prayer lists, verses, notes, and her well-worn Bible open and within easy reach. Her primary concerns were gratitude for my visit, asking how I was doing and how she could pray for me and my family. When I left, she directed me to a stew to take home with me.

True JOY:

• Has little to do with our circumstances. (2 Chron 20:12)
• Eclipses our level of “happiness” and the world’s definition of joy.  (Philippians 4:4-8)
• Is God-focused, trusting Him, not self-centered, and trusting in ourselves. (Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Chronicles 20:12)
• Draws strength from the Word, prayer, and resting in Jesus’s promises, like: “In the world you’ll have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33; 1 Peter 4:12-19)
• Expects nothing from this world and counts every single blessing. (Isaiah 64:4)
• Is the result of learning to be content and abound, regardless of our situation. (Philippians 4:12)
• Sees our circumstances as a way for us to serve by comforting others with the comfort we’ve received. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; James 1:2-3)
• Realizes that He might not remove our pain this side of heaven, but that His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9, James 1:2-3)
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We can’t manufacture joy by pasting on a smile, but like Ina, we can draw strength from true Joy in the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10) when our focus changes from self to Him, from expectations and self-sufficiency to surrender and repentance, from dwelling on our problems to praying for others, from greed and selfishness to generosity, from resentment, anger and envy to trust, forgiveness and loving like Jesus. Until the prideful “self” bows in humble submission to our Holy and just God, our “joy” will only be a surface-level smile, or empty words of encouragement from a half-surrendered heart.  

Nearly 17 years after she left this world, the Lord is still teaching me through his servant, Ina. Think of Christian friends who exhibit true joy despite hardships and suffering and pray for them.