Completed Joy
Scriptural gems for a depleted heart

Do tough circumstances tend to deplete your joy? They do mine. I know in my head that true joy runs deeper than surface happiness but my head doesn't always manage to convince my heart of that. I recently dove into a word study on joy and, within an hour, joy was resonating within me again. Here are some of the gems I gleaned from my search.

1. Communal joy

In the first passage which caught my attention, Moses was instructing the Israelites about the annual harvest festival: "The Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete" (Deut. 16:15).
The harvest had a special significance for the crowd that stood before Moses. These children of an enslaved nation were about to take possession of their own land. It would take a huge communal investment to win the land, settle it, and bring in their first harvest. When they did, they were to stop to celebrate and give thanks to the Giver of the bounty. In this celebration (the seven day long Feast of Tabernacles) they would know completed joy.

There is an earthy quality to their celebration which is not easily shared by urban people like me. I think back to the last time when I accomplished a significant project--one which was done in community and bore tangible fruit--and then actually stopped to celebrate it together. It's been a while. I love how God blesses the work of my individual hands and gives me joy in the work I do, but the picture of Israel's annual harvest feast reminds me that we thrive on working and celebrating together in community. I want to make it a habit to celebrate wins, especially when they are communal wins.

2. God's presence

David was familiar with the joy of the annual harvest festival and, given his personality, would have participated in it with vigour. Yet he knew a greater source of joy than this. "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound," he proclaims in Psalm 4:7. Elsewhere, when David rejoices in what the Lord has done for him, joy in God's presence stands central (Ps 21:6-7).

When I notice a depletion of my joy level, I've learned to take a look at my practice of being in God's presence. Most often I find that I've become slack in seeking God, or that I have been going through the motions without real engagement. David's words remind me that the Lord is always available. His presence and his promises refresh and release my joy.

3. Joy is pure gift

It amazes me how many times Jesus spoke of joy during his last hours on earth. Even though he would suffer so greatly before the day had finished, joy permeate his farewell address. Notice that he, the one preparing to suffer, is the joy giver:

"Remain in my love, obeying my commands…so that my joy may be in you."
(John 15:9-11)
"Father, I say these things…so that they may have the full measure of my joy
within them." (John 17:13)
"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice,
and no one will take away your joy." (John 16:22)

We, like the disciples, experience trouble and grief in life, but Jesus promises completed joy alongside of them (John 15:11). I long for a joy which is complete, and so I press into the instructions Jesus gave his disciples that night. How? By trying my faltering best to keep love for Christ central in my life, my attitudes and actions. By living in ways which are consistent with the character and will of Christ, necessary ingredients for a prayer to be asked 'in Jesus' name', which results in completed joy (John 16:24).

4. In eternity's light

When joy is hard to come by, an eternal perspective offers hope. The writer of Hebrews viewed the completed joy which awaited Jesus on the other side of the cross as the power source which enabled him to scorn the shame of the cross (Heb 12:2). That same eternal perspective empowers me to look up from whatever troubles I'm experiencing. Jesus will sustain us through whatever we are going through. Not only that, but one day he will receive us before his throne with great joy (Jude 24). In that day we won't need to speak of completed joy, for it will be ours. Forever.

Return to the Faith formation page

Learn about the Feasts and Festivals prescribed by the Lord for his people.

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