Surprised by Joy
Surprised by Joy, a phrase from the poet Wordsworth, was the title C.S. Lewis gave to his book, published in 1955. I confess that although I bought the book in the early ‘60s, I did not read it until recently. It is the story of his conversion from Atheism to Christianity and the amazing joy that came with that conversion. This book helped me understand more the nature of joy. While Lewis had experienced moments of joy – “stabs of joy” he called them – throughout his life, he had never experienced the joy that came to him as a believer in God. His comments about the gospels are priceless. His later books: Miracles, The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, etc., reflect the incredible joy he came to have in his ever-expanding acquaintance with God, His Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit and His plan for our eternity with Him in heaven.
Meditate on the great blessings we have in Christ and the unfolding Word which reveals Him from Genesis through Revelation! Such meditation will give you great joy. Two of our recent adult classes studied our joy in Christ, His people, and that comes from doing God’s will.
My Young’s Analytic Concordance lists two whole columns of passages mentioning the word “joy.” While the concept of joy might be material for many articles and sermons, my purpose in this article is to focus on the spiritual strength that comes with joy. One must think of joy both as a means to an end, and as the end itself. This article will concentrate on the means to an end.
The joy gained through prayer makes us anticipate God’s providence. When Christians pray, believing that God will answer their prayers, they are assured of God’s attention and blessings to them. Paul’s confidence in his brethren at Philippi was such that he was sure that their prayers for him and his anticipated visit would be granted by God. “And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.” (Philippians 1:25, 26). In a similar way, David’s rejoicing at the dedication of his house (Psalm 30:1-5) included references to his narrow escapes from death, his forgiveness from sin and the averting of punishment. In Verse 5 he writes, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” The joy of forgiven sin made him want to trust God and praise Him forever.
Joy gives us strength to work for God. The book of Nehemiah tells of the public reading of the Law of God (Nehemiah 8:1-10) and its explanation by trusted teachers who “helped the people to understand the Law.” Verse 8 says “So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.” The people were told by Nehemiah that “this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b). This joy experienced by God’s people would strengthen them for an amazing restoration work for God. The celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated with “very great gladness” (Nehemiah 8:18); there was widespread confession and repentance for sin followed by a public review of God’s blessings from creation to their present time, and a renewal of their covenant with God (Nehemiah 9). The priesthood was renewed, temple worship restored, and the rebuilt wall around the city was dedicated (Nehemiah 10-12). The final chapter (13) of Nehemiah reveals details of many other reforms and is aptly summarized by Nehemiah in these words: “Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan...Remember me, O my God, for good!” (Nehemiah 13:30a, 31b). The joy of the Lord gave Nehemiah, his leaders, and the people strength to do all of these things!
Joy gives us the ability to endure emotional and physical pain and persecutions. Jesus prepared His disciples for the pain they would experience when He was crucified and had ascended to heaven. In John 16:16-22 Jesus tells His disciples that they would “weep and lament” and would “be sorrowful.” He follows with the statement: “Your sorrow will be turned into joy.” They would forsake Him and watch, along with others, the crucifixion from afar. They would witness His resurrection and several days later watch as He ascended to heaven. When we witness their courage in Acts 2 as they fearlessly preach Jesus as the Christ, the Savior of the world, we see their “sorrow turned to joy.” The whole focus of their lives became that of pointing people to Jesus and the joy of forgiveness and hope. Look at the descriptive words and phrases Luke uses in Acts 2 to describe the new converts: “gladly received his word,” “had all things in common,” “ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,” and “praising God.” The 3000 in number were joined daily by others as they came to believe, repent, and be baptized into Christ.
Persecution began to come against the disciples as they preached to great multitudes of people. The “good news” of the gospel brought forgiveness to those who received it. Joy and hope filled every new Christian’s heart as they went everywhere proclaiming the Word. Their Master had “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). These disciples, for the joy set before them—the joy of forgiveness and hope for heaven—could endure shame, reproach, deprivation, and all manner of persecutions. The record of Christians from Pentecost until our present hour validates the principle Jesus taught His disciples: “Your sorrow will be turned into joy.” May God help us as we live our lives to be faithful in every kind of situation. May we be strengthened by our joy here to anticipate the joy that awaits us.
