Great Joy

One of our favorite passages from the story of Christmas is the account of the angels appearing to the shepherds by night. Before a host of angels declared “glory to God in the highest,” the angel of the Lord made a great announcement:

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11, NKJV).

Notice that his announcement contained “good tidings of great joy.” It wasn’t a solemn announcement. It wasn’t a declaration meant to bring fear and judgment. He brought the greatest message heaven had ever delivered—one intended to bring great joy.

The Hebrew meaning of joy in this verse means cheerfulness, calm delight, and gladness. While anyone would have felt fear at the sudden sight of angels in the sky, God wanted to bring cheerfulness, calm delight, and gladness to the hearers. But this message wasn’t just to honor the shepherds with angelic presence; it was meant to bring the best news to the whole world:

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12, NKJV).

The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah for generations. Many of them thought He was to save them from their enemies. But those who listened closely to the prophecies of Isaiah and others knew there was more to it. He wouldn’t just save them from the Romans; He would save them from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

No longer would they have to sacrifice a spotless lamb to wash away their sins for another year. No longer would they have to tiptoe around God’s presence, for they could come boldly into His presence anytime, anywhere (Hebrews 4:16). No longer would they have to work to achieve a righteous status with God, because Jesus would give them His righteousness with a home in heaven for eternity. This is the greatest reason for joy!

We may not get a visit from an angelic host at Christmas each year, but we have every reason to be joyful. The message of the Messiah was completed “once for all” (Romans 6:10, NKJV). If we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our redemption is forever sealed. Jesus reconciled us to the Father for eternity and gave us an inheritance that will “not fade away” (1 Peter 1:4, NKJV).

Are there times when we don’t feel joyful? Yes. Life circumstances and the world around us will try to zap the joy from our lives. But we don’t have to depend on an exciting manifestation like a host of angels to initiate joy in our lives. Unlike natural happiness that comes with good experiences, God’s joy is with us all the time through the Fruits of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23, emphasis mine).

Our spirits are always joyful because they contain God’s nature. God’s nature is never sad or depressed. He sent Jesus to deliver us from depression and anxiety and replaced them with spiritual fruits to live by—if we choose them. We must draw from them by faith, often acting joyfully even when we don’t feel like it (James 2:17-26).

One example is Paul and Silas in jail (Acts 16:16-40). They had no physical reason to be joyful. But they chose to praise God despite their chains, drawing from the joy inside them. The result was a miracle. Their chains fell off, and the jail doors opened!

We may feel like we have chains and jail doors weighing us down. They may not be physical. Our friends and family may not see them dangling from our arms. But they weigh down our souls, putting us in bondage. This is never God’s will for us. Instead, He wants us to put on the garment of praise to stir up the joy He gave us!

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3, NKJV, emphasis mine).

God the Father sent Jesus to give us all this. This should inspire us daily with joy! But notice the phrases “the opening of the prison to those who are bound,” and “to give…the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Jesus not only came to reconcile us to God, but He also came to give us freedom from mourning and the spirit of heaviness. We access this through praise and thanksgiving! When we praise and thank Him for all He’s done for us, what we may be going through pales in comparison. It puts our situation into perspective while giving the spirit of heaviness no place to linger.

The holidays or any other day are no time for sadness. We are redeemed children of God. In the good times and the bad, let’s tap into that reservoir of joy inside us. God’s spirit of joy through our redemption is more than enough to put us in a celebratory mood!

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17, NLT).