God is the source of all joy.
It is God’s joy in you that brings joy to your own soul (remember our definition of joy – the choice to celebrate all of life). However, we need to ensure that we open our hearts and live our lives in a way that properly responds to God so that his joy may be lived out in us.
Psalm 126 marks out for us how this may be done and what exactly our role can be (please read the focus reading carefully before continuing – I am indebted to Eugene Peterson for helping me understand this Psalm).
Did you notice that the central line of the Psalm is verse 3b – ‘we are one joyful people’? The words on one side of that central line (verses 1-2) are written in the past tense while the words on the other side (verses 4-6) are written in the future tense.
The Psalm teaches us that joy begins by having a good memory! The Psalm remembers how God was with Abraham, Moses, David, the disciples, and Paul the Apostle. Remember! Remember your own life and your own past, remember how God has faithfully worked his love into you. Joy has a history, a memory.
And then on the other side of the central line are words written in the future tense. Joy is further nurtured by anticipation, hope and by trust. If God came through for us in the past, then God can and will do it again. Joy builds on the past but it also borrows from the future – ‘and now God,’ the Psalm beseeches, ‘do it again, bring rains to our drought-stricken lives’.
Notice how this Psalm never ignores the reality of pain. It is not a stranger to the dark side of life as it speaks of ‘planting crops in despair’ and travelling with ‘heavy hearts’. Christian joy is NOT escapism for sorrow, it is NOT denial of pain or suffering, it is NOT pretending to be what one isn’t. Instead joy celebrates life by plunging into it in faith. As Karl Barth once said “Joy is a defiant ‘Nevertheless.’”
I will celebrate life no matter what – NEVERTHELESS.
And so we are brought back to the centre of the Psalm – ‘we are one joyful people,’ because our memories are filled with God’s past faithfulness and our dreams are filled not with fantasies of winning lotteries but the hope that God will continue to work his Life into us.
These memories and dreams fix our lives firmly into the present because this moment, this day, is the only one we have to live. If we try to escape from today into memories or daydreams then what we are really doing is wasting today. We will never get it back. So whether it is filled with laughter or tears, we need to celebrate it by living to the full. In this way joy encompasses both tears and laughter, both happiness and sadness. Circumstances come and go, but God’s love always was and always will be. That is the hope by which we live. Perhaps more than anything, joy allows us to live in the present.
PRAY AS YOU GO
We remember O’ Wonderful God! We remember how you have always been there for your people. We remember also your continual faithfulness to us personally. It is that memory that gives us hope for the future – for what you have done for us in the past; you will surely continue to do. We pray that our memories and anticipation will combine into a joyous present – even if we are facing tough times. Whether we are facing laughter or tears, help us to live to the full in the moment – nevertheless! Amen.
FOCUS
Psalm 126 (The Message)
1-2: It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
"God was wonderful to them!"
3: God was wonderful to us;
we are one joyful people.
4-6: And now, God, do it again —
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
