The Apostle Paul tells us to “rejoice in the Lord always.” And for emphasis he adds, “I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) But this is very difficult to do in the times in which we live where we are used to immediate gratification and often seek emotional highs by which to carry us through life.
As I was doing some painting at our house yesterday, I was listening to worship music on Pandora. There were a number of “live” selections that played and it struck me how many of these songs were led in such a way as to get people charged up. And it worked, as evident by the audience’s response with screams, shouts, and applause.
Of course, we are emotional beings and, obviously, worship should not exclude our emotions. Yet, I see an unhealthy trend here. Too often we base our relationship with the Lord on feelings and circumstances. If we feel great and are excited, we’re good. If life is going the way we want it, we’re good. As a result, this is reflected in our worship music and services. We are drawn to that which makes us feel good and excited. So the worship music is designed to charge us up, and the services as well. Look at many of the “mega” churches, and you will often see this.
What concerns me about this trend is it teaches us that we have to feel good in order to be joyful, whereas the Scriptures never define joy in this way. Rather, joy in the Lord is present regardless of our circumstances and often in spite of how we feel. Paul was in a Roman jail when he wrote to the Philippians. David was facing many deadly enemies when he wrote Psalm 94. Neither of these men was experiencing “feel good” moments when they wrote of the joy of the Lord. Rather, they were finding joy in the Lord in the midst of very trying circumstances.
What the Scriptures teach is that joy comes from the Lord (Galatians 5:22) and is not based on how we presently feel or our present circumstances. We do not need to get emotionally charged up to feel joy. We just need to draw near to the Lord, for His joy is deeper than any of our present circumstances and greater than any fleeting emotions.
Today, know you can have joy in the Lord no matter what you are currently experiencing. For His joy is not tied to your highs and lows. It goes much deeper than that. David and Paul experienced this. You can as well.
© Jim Musser 2015
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