“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit,” (Psalm 51:12 ESV)

“I got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart…”

These lyrics ring in my ears often as my young daughter recites them regularly.

Joy is something I often ponder heavily.

Joy is a gift from the Lord and is a mark of a Christian as we’re called to bear fruit of joy.

I remember many years ago creating my very first Christian blog and titled it JOY: Jesus Overflowing You.

Isn’t that what joy is? Having been filled so much with Jesus, His salvation, His truths, His ardent love, His character, His good law, and His fruit, that His joy permeates our person and isn’t disturbed by circumstance?

I think of James’ writing about our call to count it all joy.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” (James1:2-4 ESV).

I think of the apostle Paul as he wrote from a prison cell, no doubt being bound in chains, yet wrote with beautiful conviction surrounding our call to rejoice in the Lord, always.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice,” (Philippians 4:4 ESV).

My flesh wars with this notion of joy… to count all I deem as trials as joy… to rejoice at all things.

Reflecting through my childhood, teens, early twenties and now thirties, I see that I do not naturally carry a joyful countenance. I relate much more to a solemn personality.

Like peace, I used to pray intensely for joy. As I’ve grown in my walk with the Lord and have come to understand truths of scripture through the Holy Spirit’s leading, I now realize I don’t have to constantly ask the Lord to give me joy, because as a Believer His joy is ours through Christ.

But still, I struggle with exuding joy. I struggle with accepting this gift of joy. I struggle with counting it all as joy as I encounter discomforts and challenges of this life. I want to grasp James’ words and never let them go. But they seem to slip my grip all too often as my flesh flexes with pride, anger, anxiousness, fear, doubts, momentary unbelief, and distrust.

At the core of these struggles is a perspective problem and a contentment problem. I know I can exalt my desires and comforts above my call to count it all joy. I think we can all get lost in the trenches of pride as we secretly demand for things to be different, so we can feel more joyful.

When we do this, we miss the point of Christ’s work at the Cross and His resurrection. We miss the truths of the beautiful new creation we are in Christ through His call to faith and repentance. We miss His call for us to be holy for He is holy. We miss the gift of being sanctified when we’re distracted with discontentment.

Joy supersedes happiness. We know this as Believer’s in Jesus Christ. We know that our goal in this Christian life is not mere happiness, but holiness. We know that as our pursuit of holiness multiplies so does our joy.

What is this joy ultimately bound to? Our salvation.

This joy is not defined and determined by the world’s dictionary and standards. It’s the joy of our salvation that grants grace for a Believer to cry out with joy at suffering, pain, and grief. These cries of joy are not in a nonsensible naivety, but these cries of joy through hardships are rooted in the person of Christ and the eternal salvation He’s chosen to gift us with. For the Believer, every aspect of our lives should circle back to the Gospel.

We know the trials of this life have an expiration date. We know the troubles of this world have already been conquered through Christ’s fulfilled assignment at Calvary. And we know where we will be for eternal life…with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Because of these truths we know through Christ we can put on the joy that arises with our sealed salvation in Him and through Him.

That’s the joy worth fighting for. That is the only joy that strengthens our weary souls and grieving hearts.

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Maybe you can’t relate to the words on this page at all. Maybe joy and a cheerful countenance is second nature to you—if so—I lovingly envy you.

But if you find yourself fighting the good fight of faith and warring with your flesh to put on joy, be of good courage knowing you’re not alone. I encourage you to stay diligent in the war on your flesh, my friend, for it will all be worth it in the end.

I love the words the writer of Hebrews composes in chapter 12.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God,” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV).

Jesus considered the cross as joy set before Him. He wore a crown of thorns that helped produce the blood of redemption, yet He has been crowned with glory since eternity past. Through His most pleasing sacrifice before the Father, we now get to partake in the same type of joy as we endure sufferings in this life. We too will one day receive our own crowns of glory that will never fade (1 Peter 5:4).

Our joy is centered in our salvation, and our salvation is sealed in Christ.

I pray you are strengthened in the joy of the Lord. I pray you are reminded of the beauty and details of your salvation through Christ. I pray the joy of your salvation is ever present during your sufferings you’ve been ordered to. I pray your perspective is renewed to the truth that every suffering has an expiration date and glory awaits us soon. I pray if you’re flirting or engaging in a sin pattern that the Lord gently draws you to repentance and He restores to you the joy of your salvation and upholds you with a willing spirit (Psalm 51:12).

I Trust my God, I Trust my God, I Trust my God

Ardently His,

Jess Dennis

To download the Ardently His app, click here.