EP 27: Choosing Joy

The biblical call to choose joy in all things is not always an easy one. This week on the podcast, we are going to talk about how to choose joy through the lens of Nehemiah 8:9-12 and Proverbs 17:22. I pray that this episode would encourage you to cling to the joy of the Lord that is yours in Christ as your true source of strength! 

Welcome

Hello, hello! Welcome to the Daughter of Delight podcast. Whether you are tuning in the day this launches or sometime after, I pray this episode finds you doing well. If you missed it, last week I shared a very recent testament to the faithfulness of God that I witnessed during a health scare. It was a week-long battle to get answers for what all was going on, but I’m so grateful I finally did. God’s faithfulness was with me and had me covered every step of the way. I am still on the mend, but I am constantly reminded with each step of progress that my body is fighting to get past it. And that alone is a miracle! Our bodies and everything they do and are capable of doing are true wonders.I thought a discussion on how to choose joy in all things would make for a great follow-up, so this is what we will be talking about today. 

Choosing Joy

In this episode, we are going to take a look at the call to choose joy according to Nehemiah 8:9-12. Then, we are going to talk about why it is possible to choose joy in all things, how to do it at all times and I’m going to wrap things up with a challenge to help hold you accountable to choose joy moving forward. This episode is going to be a fun little pep talk on all things joy, but before we dive in I want to shine light on the review of the week. 

Review of the Week

It comes to us from Ing67 and she says, “This is such a great podcast. I listen to it during my daily walks. This isn’t just motivation, Elle brings verses into her message. I love how candid Elle is about her own struggles. She is not preachy, she is real.” Thank you so much for this amazing review! I especially love that last sentence, “She is not preachy, she is real”. Sometimes I wonder whether or not I’m being too preachy, so your words are really encouraging to hear! I love me some real talk and I love preachin’ the truth, but I want to do both in a well-blended and God-honoring light. Plus, I really believe in the power of our stories and the fact that our struggles are more relatable than we think.. Thank you again for your incredibly kind words, Ing67. I am honored that you tune into this podcast on your daily walks and pray that God would use these episodes to continue encouraging you in your walk with Him! 

Choosing Joy in All Things is Possible

Alright, let’s talk all things JOY, shall we? Although it may not feel like it at all sometimes, choosing joy in all things is possible. And the call to do so is weaved all throughout Scripture. 

The Biblical Call to Choose Joy

In James 1:2-3, James tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (ESV). Paul also tells us in Philippians 4:4 to, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (ESV).1 Thessalonians 5:16 calls us to, “Rejoice always...” And don’t forget that joy is a fruit of the Spirit as well! Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (ESV).

But How is Choosing Joy Possible in All Things?

You might be thinking, “How can I consider it pure joy when I lost my job? How can I consider losing a loved one to cancer pure joy? How am I supposed to have  joy when everything around me feels as if it is falling apart?”I want to address these questions through the lens of Nehemiah 8:9-12. This takes place after the children of Israel returned to Jerusalem from exile. 

Nehemiah 8:9-12

Press pause and grab your Bible if it’s near you. If not, no worries- I will be reading aloud from the ESV translation:9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Nehemiah 8:9

Take a look at the latter half of verse 9 with me: For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. As Ezra read the Law, God’s people were so overwhelmed with conviction that they wept. And they wept because they knew their lives were not in alignment with the Law. 

Nehemiah 8:10-11

But instead of being rebuked with guilt and condemnation, in the latter half of verse 10 Ezra goes on to say, “And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” They were instructed to celebrate because God’s joy was their strength! Because in Him, they had everything they needed. 

Nehemiah 8:12

When we skip down to the latter half of verse 12, we are told: “they had understood the words that were declared to them.” Meaning, they did just that. They celebrated.

Israel’s Relationship with God

Israel may have been God’s chosen nation, but obviously they were not known for being on their best behavior. Hence, their exile. They failed to uphold the law that had been given to them. But what they were known for was that they belonged to God. And He loved them- no matter what. After being separated from God in exile for years, finally--finally--Israel was reunited to Him! Why would He not have joy?

The Joy of the Lord Was Israel’s Strength

And, as we just read in Nehemiah 8, they, too, were called to have joy instead of weeping over the ways in which they had failed their good and gracious God. And so, they did. They chose joy. His joy became their joy and in it was the strength to keep choosing joy in all things. In it, was His love, which 1 Peter 4:8 tells us, covers a multitude of sins. They embraced the truth that they were God’s beloved people.  

The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength, Too

In the same way we, too, are called to have joy. Always! Psalm 16:11 tells us that in God’s presence, there is fullness of joy! Psalm 30:11 tells us He turns our mourning into dancing. And Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God delights in His people with gladness and rejoices over them with joyful songs. 

Joy is Already Ours

Sis, here is why it is possible to choose joy. Because joy is already ours in Christ! It’s not something that comes to us from anything in this life, but it is a fruit of the Spirit that is gifted to us from life in Christ. This means we always have access to it. 

Happiness vs. Joy

Now, I don’t know if you have ever done this, but I have been known to associate joy with happiness and intertwine the two as the same thing. But we must not do this because they are not the same thing. Happiness is fleeting. It’s an in the moment kind of thing and completely depends on our circumstances. True, eternal joy, however,  sticks around. It lives in us, always. And we have access to it, always, because it is not contingent on our circumstances. And it’s so important for us to recognize and live in acknowledgement of the differences between the two. Joy satisfies the heart in ways happiness never can and never will. And it can only be found in our pursuit of the Father’s heart. God alone is the giver of true, abundant joy. When we choose the joy that is ours in Him, His strength becomes our own. 

A Personal Example of Choosing Joy

When I found myself in the ER not once but twice last week, I kept repeating the words “His joy is my strength”. Now, when my pain was at its worst and I had no idea what was happening, there was a very real battle going on inside of me when it came to choosing to speak God’s truth over me or succumbing to my pain and allowing it to be the only thing that defined me in that moment. I chose to cling to God’s joy, and the peace it brought my heart in doing so was unexplainable. Choosing joy in that moment didn’t take the pain away, but it did something so much greater. It reminded me of my identity as a Daughter of the Most High King and it urged me to walk in the truth that, no matter what, the joy of the Lord is and always will be my strength, even in this broken body, and God is and always will be with me. His joy truly was my strength in that moment, and it made me realize that I don’t choose it often as I should. Perhaps you feel the same. So, thanks be to God that joy is always available to us because of who we are in Him. Amen?

Proverbs 17:22

Now that we know joy is ours in Christ, let’s talk about how to proactively choose it everyday. And I want to address this through the lens of Proverbs 17:22, which says, “A joyful heart is good medicine” (ESV).Did you catch that? Joy is like medicine! When we choose it, it works to wipe out anything in us that doesn’t deserve to be there; it takes care of the “illness”, so to speak. And this, right here, is how you choose it: by showing up and taking your medicine, every single day! Sister, Christ Jesus is the giver of true, unending joy! When we choose it, it changes us from the inside-out and it makes a mark on the people around us, too. Because it shines through us as the assurance and the hope we have in Christ and Christ alone. The joy of Christ brings forth the light this dark, dark world so desperately needs. 

The Reality of Choosing Joy

And don’t get me wrong. Choosing to find joy in the journey God has set before us can be extremely difficult and completely unwanted at times- particularly in the face of adversity or despair. I just gave you an example of how I was faced with choosing joy in the ER last week. But it’s important. That being said, I also want to remind you that joy and grief can co-exist. You can choose to rest assured in Christ and trusting in the work of God while grieving the loss of something or someone special to you. The point I want to make with this reminder is that, when you show up and choose joy in the face of your suffering, you are acknowledging that God is greater than our circumstances; you are demonstrating Who you belong to and the strength that is yours in Him. You are committing yourself to your Creator and trusting that He is the One who will carry you through. And He surely will.

Your Good, God’s Glory

God will use your act of choosing joy in the midst of difficult circumstances for your good and His glory. He will grow you and refine you, comfort and encourage you. Sis, choosing joy is an act of surrender to the One who knows and calls you by name; to the One who wastes NO thing, not even the air you are breathing this very second. Not even your darkest hour. Press pause and let that sink in for a sec.

A Remedy For the Weary Soul

Joy is a remedy for the weary soul, and I don’t know about you, but I want it. I need it, every hour of every day. When I choose joy, I’m also choosing to be a reminder to my brothers and sisters around me that the same joy is available for them, as well. I don’t know if you have ever been around someone who is filled with the joy of Christ, but my goodness is it contagious. The light of the Lord shines right through them and everyone wants to be around them. Everyone wants what that person has! Radiant, everlasting joy. Maybe it’s just me, but Proverbs 19:22 convicts me to be better about choosing joy in all things, at all times. And the best way to receive and live with the joy of the Lord in our hearts is by remaining rooted in His infallible, life-giving Word! Sis, I have shared countless Scriptures regarding joy in this episode for a reason. The call to choose joy is woven all throughout His Word! 

A Challenge to Choose Joy

So, with that in mind, I want to wrap up this episode with a challenge. No matter what your circumstances may be, I want to challenge you to pick one of the following verses to reflect on and memorize over the course of the next few days. If you have never memorized Scripture before, no worries. You can DO it. In fact, I’ll give you a few of my favorite ways to practice memorizing the Word. First off, write the verse on several different post-it notes and stick them all over the places you frequent most- your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, your steering wheel, you get the point. And each time you see it, take a minute to read it and repeat it to yourself. Do this until you no longer need the post-its and the verse is planted in your heart. Another way I like to memorize Scripture is by writing the first letter of each word in the verse on my hand or on a white board, or even on a post-it. Take, for example, Proverbs 16:22 says “A joyful heart is good medicine” (ESV). If I were trying to memorize this, I would write the letters AJHIGM. My brain loves it some acronyms, I’m just saying. So, try it and see if it works for you, too! 

Engrave the Word on Your Heart

1.) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. -James 1:3 2.) You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. -Psalm 16:11 (ESV)3.) So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. -John 16:22 (ESV)4.) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. -Romans 14:17 (ESV)5.) The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. -Psalm 28:7 Sis, engrave the Word on your heart in such a way, that you cannot help but praise His good and glorious name! Be blessed, dear sister! Be blessed. 

Thank You

Thank you for tuning in to today’s episode! I am so glad you gave it a listen and pray that the Lord used it to lift your spirits and encourage you to choose joy, right where you are. If you enjoyed it, please consider taking a moment to rate and review the Daughter of Delight podcast on iTunes. This is what helps the show grow and it’s always a boost of encouragement and a nice little pep in my step to continue creating Gospel-centered just for you! Also, thanks so much for being a part of the Daughter of Delight community and for supporting the podcast. Words cannot even express how grateful I am for your place here.

Coming Up Next

Next week, I have a special opportunity to tell you about Christian Healthcare Ministries, a Christain, cost-sharing alternative to health care that is not only budget friendly but also Gospel-centered. It has been life-changing for my family and I’m thrilled to share all about it with you! Talk with you next Wednesday!

More

Did you enjoy today's episode? Take a listen to "The Pointless Pursuit of Perfectionism" here!Want more encouragement? Check out this Daily Delight Devotional!