C.S. Lewis entitled his autobiography up to his conversion to Christ, Surprised by Joy. He describes joy as that

“of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again… I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever… exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power, and pleasure often is.” (Fontana, 1965, p.20)

He sees Joy as a pointer to God. Joy was valuable in giving him a momentary experience of something greater than himself. When you find God, the pointer isn’t as important.

“When we are lost in the woods the sight of a signpost is a great matter. He who first sees it cries, ‘Look!’ The whole party gathers around and stares. But when we have found the road and are passing signposts every few miles, we shall not stop and stare. They will encourage us and we shall be grateful to the authority that set them up. But we shall not stop and stare, or not much; not on this road, though their pillars are of silver and their lettering of gold. ‘We would be at Jerusalem.’” (op.cit. p.190) Joy has done its work in putting us on the right road. God now becomes our joy.

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” (John 15:11) When the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds he proclaimed, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)

Joy is the experience of having something to rejoice about, to be extremely thankful for. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Dr Archibald Hart describes joy as

“a very special state of rejoicing – a condition of knowing and living out God’s purposes through His Holy Spirit. It is not a feeling of ecstasy, though joy, when fully appreciated and experienced, may create a deep feeling of unexplained happiness. It is not just being happy. Happiness is another step removed. Joy is more basic than happiness, though I believe that unless joy gives rise to a sincere and stable happiness it probably isn’t real joy. Joy is less dependent on circumstances than happiness. Joy can exist even when everything, and I mean everything, is disintegrating around you, because joy is more an attitude of appreciation than it is a state of being… Joy and ‘being’ go together, They are inseparable. By ‘being’ I mean being grounded in Christ, being rooted in the source of all joy. There is no real deep joy outside of this grounding.” (Unlocking the Mysteries of Your Emotions, p.139-145)

Jesus is described as “full of joy through the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 10:21) He tells the disciples that they should “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20) What should give joy is not that we have a certain amount of power and effectiveness in this life, but that we are known personally to God the Father and that he has recorded our names in the Book of Life. We have eternal value and will never be forgotten in the life to come. Jesus praises the Father, Lord of heaven and earth because he has revealed the knowledge of their destiny to these disciples. Such knowledge of God’s loving purposes in Jesus gives great joy.

Peter expresses the same theme about the future revelation of the significance of Jesus when he writes, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8,9)

What is the formula for an inexpressible and glorious joy? It is this: Believe that Jesus was raised from the dead to new life, and wants to give that new life to you. Open your life to him and receive him, his death upon the Cross for your sins, so that you might be forgiven. Receive his Spirit into your life, and resolve to follow him as your Lord and Savior. Ask him for the courage to be his disciple. Jesus promised, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24) Your joy will be complete when you have the joy of Jesus in you.

Oswald Chambers put it this way:

“What was the joy Jesus had? The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. ‘I delight to do your will.’ Jesus prayed that our joy might go on fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce this joy to me? The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happenings, not in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in communion with Him that Jesus Himself had. The first thing that will hinder this joy is the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances. The cares of this world, said, Jesus, will choke God’s word. Before we know where we are, we are caught up in the show of things. Be rightly related to God, find your joy there, and out of you will flow rivers of living water…. Joy means the perfect fulfillment of that which I was created and regenerated, not the successful doing of a thing. The joy our Lord had lay in doing what the Father sent Him to do.” (My Utmost for His Highest, August 31^st  and March 5^th.)

It was Jesus who, “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) If we know, and are assured of the inheritance that is kept in heaven for us, an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, we can receive the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls, in the form of anticipated joy today. This promise can sustain us in the midst of sorrow because we know that eventually sadness will turn to joy in God’s good time.

“Those who sow in tears

will reap with songs of joy.

He who goes out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5,6)

In this life we are sowing. The harvest comes later. But it will surely come.

What is it that gives you joy?  Is it “the splendor of the whole creation, the beauty of this world, the wonder of life, and the mystery of love?” Is it the knowledge that, whatever may happen to us in this life, it will be redeemed in the next? Is it that nothing worthwhile will ever be lost eternally? Is it that Good will ultimately triumph over evil? Is it the love of friends and family? Is it the simple pleasures of working, eating, sleeping, playing, helping others, giving, and enjoying doing what you want to do? Identifying the source of our joy may tell us a great deal about ourselves. But remember that Joy is more than pleasure.

Eric Milner-White summed it up in this prayer:

The beauty of the earth,

the radiance of saints,

the clean strength of truth,

the whole wonder and world of good will

proceed from the joy of God.

 

May the joy that is thine, O my God,

become also mine;

let it shine through me, gleaming with faith,

beaming with hope, teeming with love,

unquenchable in pain.

 

Tune the strings of my spirit

to the music of thine:

make me bring to the company of the faithful,

– nay, of all men –

a humble, repentant, lively, singing gladness:

let me meet and defeat the devil, all devils,

with a smile.

 

Dear God, what in all the universe, is this Joy?

No less, none other that the Lord Jesus Christ.

He that hath the Son, hath life,

thy life and the music and marvels of it.

Christ is the author of all joyfulnesses

that are pure and enduring;

Christ their communicator

every day and all day long:

Christ, their end

beyond mortal horizons.

All joy is mine, to all eternity;

for I am Christ’s,

and Christ is God’s.