For four days last July, my hometown of San Diego was invaded by thousands of superheroes, zombies, vampires, sci-fi and comic book characters, and more. A total of 130,000 fans attended the annual international Comic-Con event—most of them in costume.

I confess that I don’t “get” Comic-Con. I’m not a huge fantasy-fiction fan. But I totally understand the delight and joy of participating in your chosen area of interest.

And that applies to an endless number of interests that all of us have. We shouldn’t be ashamed to say that we love what we love! Whether it’s sports, cooking, politics, quilting, gardening, travel, photography—the list goes on. I’m not writing to endorse any particular subject area or the amounts of time and money each area can absorb. But I do endorse and encourage what bubbles to the surface when we connect with the things we love: JOY!

Joy in pursuing our God-given desires

If you have seen the inspiring film Chariots of Fire, based on the life of Scottish missionary and Olympic runner Eric Liddell, you will probably remember these wonderful words that he spoke: “I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” He spoke those words as a response to being criticized for pursuing his interests in track and field before going to the mission field.

I believe we could easily substitute the word “joy” for “pleasure” in Liddell’s statement without changing the meaning at all, for God takes joy and pleasure when His creation manifests its God-given purpose. And if God finds pleasure and joy when we excel in desires that honor Him, shouldn’t we feel the same pleasure and joy? Of course we should.

I believe God created us with the potential for great pleasure and joy, and because of that, we have the right to rejoice! We even see joy ascribed to creation in Scripture: mountains skipping like rams (Psalm 114:4), stars singing together (Job 38:7), and rivers and trees clapping their hands (Psalm 98:8; Isaiah 55:12). Those are figures of speech. But where there is a metaphor, there is a connection to something that is real, and the actual fact is that the Creator infused His creation with joy. If the angels of God rejoice, should not we as well (Job 38:7; Luke 2:13-14; 15:10)?

Dear friend, I believe the experience most missing from the average Christian’s life today is joy. I don’t mean just laughter and hilarity, although there is plenty of room for more of that in the body of Christ. (Who knows how much healthier we’d be with a little, or lot, more laughter—Proverbs 17:22?) I also mean that deeper dimension of happiness—what we really mean when we talk about joy: that deep-seated conviction that God is in control, God is good, and therefore I have nothing to be downcast about.

If I could see you in action when you’re pursuing your heartfelt desires, I imagine I would see your pleasure and joy in full form. And I would be right there, high-fiving you the whole time. It’s a wonderful thing to see people rejoicing, isn’t it?

We know how to do that part of rejoicing. But it’s the other kind—rejoicing when we feel like crying or shouting—that we need to talk about. Remember: If God has built joy into His creation, then it’s your right, as His child, to rejoice even when it doesn’t seem natural.

Joy when life is a mess

Think for a moment about Paul in prison. The New Testament letter that talks more about joy than any other was written by Paul while he was under arrest. His setting was not as bad as in his final imprisonment in the dreaded Mamertine Prison in Rome, but it was bad enough. His house arrest, during which he wrote Philippians and three other letters, offered no happy ending so far as Paul knew. Even though he had food and clothing, and occasional visits from friends, he didn’t know the outcome of his imprisonment. He could have been martyred any day. And yet he wrote over and over about joy.

Joy in prison where one’s life was in the hands of a pagan Roman emperor? That’s the kind of joy we need to cultivate.

Paul’s perspective on joy was not something he discovered while in prison. Instead, it was a settled conviction that found expression. Here’s how we know. Around A.D. 51, Paul wrote these two profound words to the Christians at Thessalonica who were experiencing persecution: “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). It wasn’t until 10 years later, in A.D. 61, that he wrote his letter to the Philippians in which joy is mentioned 14 times. In fact, he repeated to the Philippians, his ten-year-old admonition to the Thessalonians: “Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Joy was Paul’s lifestyle.

How do we “rejoice always”?

But how? How do we “rejoice always”? The biblical answer is not surprising: It requires both an attitude and an action.

• Attitude: We know from Galatians 5:22 that joy is a supernatural manifestation of Christ’s life in us—part of the fruit of the Spirit. But it is up to us to be filled with the Spirit, to embrace the Spirit’s work in every situation. Moment-by-moment in life, and especially in difficult moments, we must carry the conviction that God wants to release His joy in our lives.
• Action: Part of walking by faith is… walking! Our responsibility is to act on what God has promised to provide. We need to act joyfully—giving testimony (both verbally and nonverbally) to our conviction that God is good, God is in control, and God will bring good out of every situation for His glory (Romans 8:28). I’m not talking about a veneer of joy; I’m talking about joy through and through. Even when there are tears, they are not tears of anger or frustration. Even when we experience grief, we can have joy because we know it’s our right to rejoice.

I encourage you, with the apostle Paul, to “rejoice always.” The circumstances of life may change our reasons for rejoicing, but please for the Love of Christ, do not let them change Your ability to rejoice in Christ.

-David Jeremiah