Finding More Joy

 

By: Donna Bucher

Steeping in Joy thoughts this month, prompted me to look in unsuspecting places for more Joy in the Lord. Each day found me expectantly searching for a Joy lesson. While some days the lessons met me easily, others caused me no little effort.

But God’s faithfulness never fails, and one day recently, amid the tragic story of Absalom’s sedition against his father and king, Joy met me.

You have put joy in my heart, More than [others know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly.

 

Psalm 4:7 (AMP)

 

Here amid one of David’s greatest sorrows, he speaks of Joy. I chose the Amplified Bible for the verse quotation because it clarifies the psalmist’s meaning in the comparison.

David’s Joy in the Lord exceeded the Joy of those who reaped an abundant harvest. Or in other words, more than those who betrayed him presently enjoyed.

No stranger to suffering, David, hunted by Saul, though anointed king; also suffered the loss of an infant son after adultery and murder, and saw his firstborn son murdered by another of his sons. The same estranged son who organized an uprising and stole his kingdom.

Many of the psalms detail his anguish, but not without punctuations of Joy in the Lord.

David’s suffering at the hands of others and because of his own folly, draws us to the profound message of Psalm 4:7.

His expression of Joy, undiminished by his brokenness, proves the Joy firmly rooted in Christ, retains a resiliency beyond any momentary joy worldly goods can offer.

Even more shocking, David’s declaration of incomparable Joy came not from the comfort of his throne room. A man betrayed birthed Psalms 3 and 4 as he fled from a heart pierced by his own son.

Yet, though broken-hearted, and betrayed, watching his beloved son destroy the work of a lifetime, he breathes the words, “You put more Joy in my heart, than those who rejoice at my downfall”.

Though he feared for his life and had no knowledge of the outcome, he praised and rejoiced in the God whose Joy exceeds the joy of sinners on their happiest days. A Joy so immense, no darkness or loss dare quell the depth and fullness of divine delight.

A Joy such as David expressed in Psalm 4:7 keeps us not only in the ease of mountain top Christianity, but shepherds us in the valleys of despair, suffering, the wreckage of sin, and life’s injustices.

Finding more Joy in the Lord at these times requires a perspective shift. One David made by coming to God, baggage, and all.

Plumbing the depths of wisdom in the few words of Psalm 4:7, we find the path to more Joy in the Lord.

Reflection. David’s words reflect a truth he knows from past experiences with God. Remember, David’s painful life stemmed from his own sin as well as the sins of others. He speaks of a settled Joy having seen God’s mercy in reference to his own sins, God’s deliverance from his enemies and his own fears and God’s unfailing love in every circumstance.

Relationship. David spoke the words of Psalm 4:7 from a place of intimate relationship with God. They issue forth with the familiarity of longtime friends; of a history spent in fellowship.

Reality. David spoke from a settled reality sourced in his own consequences of seeking fulfillment and Joy in lesser things but finding true Joy only in God Himself.

Sitting with David’s wisdom spoken from the pain of betrayal and failure, revealed the way forward to finding more Joy in the Lord in times of despair, suffering, the wreckage of sin, and life’s injustices.

Through reflection, relationship and reality of God’s unfailing love, David watched his son feast on his wine, his grain, and his wealth; fearing for his life and faced with losing all he loved.

Yet he whispers thanks to God for filling him with a Joy sourced in the God of a covenant relationship which would keep him forever.

Leaving for us a promise of more Joy in the Lord even during our worst situations and sufferings. A promise which gifts us with the knowledge that He will not only keep our lives but give us more Joy in Him.

 

Reflection:

When was the last time you encountered Joy in the Lord during a challenging time?

What one step can you take today to find more Joy in the Lord despite your circumstances?

Find more encouragement and FREE Resources at Serenity in Suffering!

 

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