What is it we know about joy?
The prophet Isaiah described the joy of those who had been ransomed and freed as everlasting. When we have been caught in something and we are freed, we are joyous. (Isaiah 51:11)
As David and his men returned from a victory over the Philistines, women came out in the cities of Israel singing and dancing. Their joy was so great. When we are spared from ruin we feel joy in our hearts. (1 Samuel 18:6)
When Jesus came to earth as a baby. The angel described the news of that birth as being “good” and “of great joy.” Just think, the knowledge of God coming down to earth gives us great joy. (Luke 2:10-11)
After Nathan told David of his sin, David wanted to “hear joy and gladness” from God. He wanted God to “restore…the joy of (God’s) salvation” God’s forgiveness does bring about joy. (Psalm 51:8, 12)
When we have been going through trials, we can have the joy that our faith is being strengthened and will become more evident and will result when Christ comes again. An author friend equates going through those trials as suffering for Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-8)
We have seen joy in different books of the Bible. We may have seen the joy in our world around us. We hear good news about a friend. We receive a blessing. We get respite from the heat in the summer or from the cold in the winter.
However, due to our humanity, we have times of anxiety and depression enter our lives. These times cause fear and uncertainty for us and for those around us. “Weeping may tarry for the night but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:6)
When we are emotionally down, we need to learn to look for ideas or events that bring out the joy that has gotten hidden by the negative. That joy might be a very faint glimmer of something that brought peace to us earlier. It is those glimmers of joy that help us through the times we are burdened.