From the Pulpit: You can’t have true joy without the Lord

“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24.  

Growing up, I remember hearing my mom walking around singing this song. Growing up this was just another song, but as I’ve grown older it’s become a great reminder. A reminder that we can find joy and rejoice each day because of the Lord. The words joy and rejoice appear over 300 times throughout scripture. As we go through life there are days, times, and seasons where it is easy to rejoice and find joy, and there are times when those two words seem impossible. 

I love how scripture tells us where real joy can be found. Nehemiah 8:11 reminds us that “…the joy of the Lord is our strength.” Our joy doesn’t have to be dependent on our circumstances or how we are feeling, but our joy comes from the Lord. Being able to find joy, hope, and peace in the Lord, even in the most difficult times, is a strength. Our strength is knowing that even though things look bad now, the Lord is still in control, there is still good around us, and He will get us through any situation. Because of the Lord we have strength to go forward. 

When we are going through times where things are good, it’s easy to find joy. It’s easy to remember that our joy comes from the Lord. It’s easy to remember to take time to rejoice and thank Him for all He does. But it’s in those times where life is difficult that we can forget that we can still have joy, hope, and peace. Those things can be found by spending time in the presence of the Lord and trusting Him to be everything we need. In any situation we can have joy and we can rejoice because we have a God who loves us and cares about everything we face. We have a God who is with us in every situation. 

Sometimes we just need to stop and remember that our joy is found in the Lord, not in what is going on around us. Philippians 4:4 reminds us to “rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” So whatever the circumstances, I want to be someone who will rejoice. I want to be someone who remembers “this is the day the Lord has made” and I can find joy in the good days, the average days, and the difficult days. My strength, my joy, doesn’t comes from myself or my circumstances, but it comes from the Lord and because of that I will rejoice!