Joy doesn’t always look the way we think it will look. It does not just mean happiness or a positive attitude. Joy is the ray of light that shines in the midst of the darkness. It is the hope God gives when all hope seems lost. It is the song you sing when you can’t find the words. Joy never fails. It never ends. It never fades. Joy is always there even when you can’t see it. Let’s take a look at two stories of hope in the Bible that radiate with joy.
Look at Job for instance. Job was a man who had everything stripped away from him. It seemed as though he had nothing left and no reason to continue on. He lost his livestock, his family, and even his health. Job’s friends tried to “comfort” him by letting him know that it was his fault these things were happening to him. However, Job continued to place his faith in the Lord. He continued to look up. His response to the Lord was that He gives and takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord. He chose joy over sorrow, even when his friends and wife told him to choose sorrow. Joy is looking up in the midst of grief. Look at Mary the mother of Jesus. She became pregnant with the Son of God when she was still considered a young woman and not married to Joseph yet. She was surely ashamed and fearful of the unknown future. However, she chose to embrace the godly calling and instead rejoiced that God had chosen her to bear His child. She said in Luke 1:46 “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” She chose joy over a fear that could have paralyzed her, and in return, God blessed her.
We can also choose joy instead of sorrow and instead of fear. When we allow joy to have its way, we will find a stable ground to stand on.