The Secret to Finding Joy

What are you most grateful for today?

I could answer that question a thousand ways.  I’m sure you could too.  But at the top of my list is my family.  I’m blessed with an awesome wife & three incredible kids.  And we are trying to raise them to be grateful as well.  Like many of you we often pray before every meal.  Many times one of our kids will say the prayer.  There’s nothing I love more than to hear our kids pray & talk to God.  I don’t think we did this on purpose, but somehow we’ve taught our kids to pray by saying thank you. Their prayer language is thankfulness.  Emma, our four year old, loves to pray.  And she’ll thank God for everyone sitting at the table… Thank you for my mom, my dad, Will, Sissy, Belle (the dog)… & then she’ll move on to food & other random objects to keep the prayer going.  You can see her with one eye open as she looks around the room & says to God, “Thank you for my cup, my fork, my plate, the bread, my baked potato, my green beans…”  You & I know she’s not grateful for those green beans.  If green beans tasted like chocolate she would be thankful for them!

So what are you grateful for?  This is an important question because being grateful is directly connected to having joy.

Most of us struggle with joy.  We struggle with joy because we’re weighed down with worry.

Brenè Brown says there is a surprising connection in her research between people who have joy & people who don’t. And the connection is that people who practice gratitude have joy. They’re not just grateful, but they practice gratitude.  They make a habit of gratitude.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, I believe part of what Paul wants to do is remind us that our joy comes not from our immediate circumstance but from our eternal position as a people loved by God.

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Paul is a church planter, a gospel writer, & he knew something about joy. And he often practiced gratitude. In fact, many times Paul talks about how thankful & grateful he was for the people in the churches he served. So even though Paul sometimes came down hard on the curches he wrote to he never wanted them to be under the false impression that he didn’t love them & care for them.

And life hadn’t always been easy for Paul. He was whipped, beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, you name it for the sake of the gospel. But through it all he had learned the secret to being content, to having joy. Listen to what Paul had to say…

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
Philippians 4.4

This is a reminder of how we live. We don’t live from this side of the story. On this side of the story we don’t know what’s going to happen next. We don’t know how the situation is going to turn out. We don’t know if we’ll be able to beat cancer, if we’ll get the job, if our kids will marry the right person, if it’s going to work out the way we want it too. AND SO WE WORRY. Why? Because we’re living from the wrong side of the story.

We live from the other side. The side that knows how the story ends. That Jesus is coming soon. That God wins. That come what may we will be seated with Christ in the new heaven & the new earth. That we will gather together at the river that flows by the throne of God & join in with the worship of thousands of angels singing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory. We know how the story ends. These 60-70-80-90 years — they’re brief. Temporary. Momentary. Our future is secure. Our eternity is set. Nothing can separate us who belong to Christ Jesus from the unconditional love of God.

So we’re trusting God in the moment while having confidence in Him for the future.

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And then Paul reminds us of this…

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4.6-7

The peace of God will stand watch over our hearts. Literally, this is a military term.  The peace of God is like a soldier standing guard over our lives!

This is precisely the reason we do worry. We don’t pray about anything & we don’t thank God for what He has done. You see, this is exactly how God builds faith in His people. You pray. God answers. You thank Him for what He has done. You experience His goodness, His kindness, His faithfulness in your life & YOUR FAITH GROWS. And when your faith grows weak all you have to do is begin to recount all the ways God has been good, been faithful & been present in your life.

So what have you been worried about this past week?
Let me ask you a couple of questions about that thing, that situation, that present reality you’re dealing with. Have you prayed about it? Do you believe God is who He says He is? Do you believe He is able & capable of taking whatever momentary trouble you’re dealing with, whatever mess you’re in the middle of, no matter how big or how small?  Do you believe He is able to step into that & help you? Do you believe that God truly is intimately aware & actively involved in the details of your life? Are you willing to trust Him with it?

I think the reason we have a hard time with this is because God doesn’t always do what we think He should do. And He doesn’t often work off our time table. We live in a “what have you done for me lately” culture. Take almost any coach in any sport & if they go 2-3 seasons without winning – they’re out.

We’re not that patient with people & we are not that patient with God. And what we fail to realize is that God is always with us. His presence in your life isn’t a feeling, it’s a fact.

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What we don’t realize is that what God has in mind for us isn’t immediate relief from our problem or suffering.  But His desire is to transform us into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. And sometimes, the shortest route to get us from where we are to where God wants us to be is through the valley. It’s through difficulty, stress & suffering that we are most quickly changed.  Because in these seasons of life we’re most dependent on God.

So Paul uses these words to give us a new way to approach life. He says…

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4.8-9

Sometimes we feel like God is far away. And that’s why we worry. But today, here’s what I want you to do. Just for today. Fix your thoughts on Jesus. Write down what you’re grateful for. Pray about everything that is weighing you down. Give that to God. You may need to physically hold that in your hands & as you pray open your grip & release it to God. Trust God in the moment. Have confidence in Him for the future.

When God is with you the past doesn’t haunt you & the future doesn’t scare you.

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You see God created us to be different in this way. People of joy. Are we immune to the worries of this life, of this world? No. But we have a peace that transcends every situation & circumstance because we know the Prince of Peace. I had coffee with Him this morning. He’s alive & well. He knows your name & He’s ready to meet you where you are & take that load off your back & carry it for a while.

God is with you & for you. You have nothing to fear. Your joy comes not from your immediate circumstance but from your eternal position as a person loved by God.

So what’s the secret to finding joy?

1. Pray about everything.

2. Thank God for what He has done.

3. Repeat!  Make gratitude a daily habit.

I pray that today you will find a sense of joy in your life that transcends your present circumstance because you’re reminded that you are deeply loved & cared for by God.

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