Man vs. Feelingsਨਮੂਨਾ

The Joy of Jesus

Joy.

It’s a profound emotion. If you’re human, I’m certain that you long for it.

It’s an emotion that comes with numerous physical, emotional, and social benefits. It’s so significant that psychologists formed a whole branch of psychology (“positive psychology”) to study it.

It’s different from “happiness,” which is usually triggered by an external event and is, therefore, fleeting.

Psychologists see joy as being more sustained and rooted in deeper factors like connection, alignment with values, and purpose.

Every single man longs to feel more of this emotion. Yet, if we’re honest, many of us struggle to find it.

I don’t know about you, but in a world of people struggling to find joy, I’m grateful to follow a Savior whom God has anointed with joy beyond all His companions (Psalm 45:7).

Not only does Jesus experience greater measures of joy than everyone around Him, but He also longs for His joy to be in His disciples, as our Scripture today reveals.

A question I find myself asking is how Jesus could be described as a man more joyful than His companions when He went through so much sorrow in His life (Isaiah 53:3).

Hebrews 12:2 gives us a glimpse into His psychology, telling us that He endured the Cross for the joy set before Him. Jesus’ expectation of joy in the future empowered Him to endure the worst of circumstances.

There appears to be something significant about a “future-oriented” joy. One of my favorite definitions of the word hope is that it is the “joyful anticipation of good.”

Could the key to experiencing Jesus’ joy be a hope that comes from all the promises that He has spoken to us about?

Prayer: Father, fill me with the joy of Jesus that comes from hope and faith in all He has in store for me. As You reveal to me Your good plans and purposes for my life, let me feel the well of joy springing up. Fill me with Your Word; from that, I pray that You fill me with Your joy. Amen.

Reflection: How can hope (i.e., “the joyful anticipation of good”) lead to an experience of Jesus’ joy for you? How can a “future-oriented joy” strengthen you in your discipleship to Jesus?