Joy as a Response to God

Scripture — Psalm 16:8-11 (NRSV)

I keep the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Devotion

When have you been filled with joy? I’m not talking about momentary feelings of happiness. Rather, I’m wondering if there have been times in your life when your joy was expansive, filling your heart and mind, inspiring you to shout, sing, dance, or otherwise express the joyful fullness within you. I’m asking about the kind of joy that Peter, in his first letter, refers to a “an indescribable and glorious joy” (1Pet 1:8).

When I think about being filled with that kind of joy, I’m reminded of special times with my family. I’ve been filled with joy in response to the births of my children. More recently, I felt this kind of joy during the wedding of my daughter. In those instances, my joy was a response to something truly good and wonderful. Joy filled me up.

Scholars who study joy tend to agree with George Vaillant’s views on joy. The former director of the Study of Adult Development at Harvard University once wrote that “of all primary human emotions, joy is the one least studied” (Spiritual Evolution, p. 119). This may be, according to Vaillant, because “there is no easy definition of joy” (p. 134). The lack of an easy definition doesn’t discourage him from recommending it, however. After saying there is no easy definition of joy, Vaillant adds, “Go and experience it for yourself!” (p. 134).

Scholars who study joy tend to agree on a few things. Robert A. Emmons, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis, identifies one of these areas of agreement in an article on joy.

Almost all descriptions of joy in that literature state that joy is a response to a “good” object– usually a positive event or circumstance. Different from mood states, joy as an emotional state is always about something, and usually, this is news about something good in one’s life. Joy is a response to some good object (p. 2).

We see this responsive quality of joy in Scripture. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippian Christians, says that he is “constantly praying with joy” because of how the Philippians have been “sharing in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil 1:4-5). In Isaiah 61, the Lord’s representative says, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, . . . for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation” (61:10). In Psalm 92, the psalm writer explains why he rejoices: “For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands, I sing for joy” (92: 4). In all of these cases and so many more throughout the Bible, joy is a response to some good thing that has happened.

In Psalm 16, the psalm writer’s joy is also a response, but not only to some recent good event. The psalmist rejoices because God is faithfully present at his “right hand” (16:8). The Lord guides the writer, showing him “the path of life” (16:11). But what gives him “fullness of joy” isn’t what God has done so much as God’s own presence. In this case, joy is a response to the ultimate “good thing,” namely, God. Yes, God gives the psalmist “pleasures forevermore” (16:11). But the greatest pleasure of all is being with God.

If this is true, then we can see how we might not only experience joy when good things happen in our lives. For sure, we are joyful when God guides us and blesses us. But we can also be joyful because God is with us, not every now and then, but always, even in hard times.

The presence of God is something I affirm in faith, even though I don’t always experience God’s presence. Sometimes God can feel very far away. I expect you know this feeling too. Yet at times the presence of God breaks through my resistance and fills my heart with joy. Usually, this sort of breakthrough happens when I’m going through difficult times.

For example, eighteen months ago, I had surgery to remove my cancerous prostate. My first days of recovery in the hospital were marked with considerable pain and with worry that the cancer had spread. One night when I couldn’t sleep because of pain and anxiety, I managed to get out of my hospital bed and sit in a nearby chair. I was talking with God, lamenting my situation and asking for relief, healing, and peace. As I sat in that dark room, I did sense God’s presence with me. I had confidence that my life was in God’s hands, no matter what happened. I didn’t feel the sort of joy that leads to loud expressions of praise, which wouldn’t have been welcome in the hospital, at any rate, but rather I felt the deep joy that comes with surrender and gratitude.

In my hospital room that night, I also sensed in a new way God’s call to focus even more on the third third work I had been doing. But that’s a story for another day. I should mention, however, that my surgery seems to have gotten all of the cancer. To this day, there is no evidence of prostate cancer in my body, thanks be to God. And, yes, the fact that God healed me through excellent medical care and by God’s own amazing grace does indeed help me to be joyful. But I have not forgotten how the presence of God in my hospital room filled my heart with joy before I healed and before I had my biopsy results. I share this story with you, not to draw attention to myself, but rather to point to God’s grace and to encourage you to reflect on times when God’s presence in your life has inspired you to rejoice.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Are You Satisfied? Really?.