Can I Just Find Some Joy Around Here?
1 “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.”
I don’t know about you but it’s easy for life to pilfer my joy. I can wake up in the morning full to the brim with joy and when my feet hit the floor, it flees like a rabbit being chased by a hound dog. Life can be very real – paying bills, rushing to and from work, cleaning up big and little messes, listening to siblings argue and fight, disagreements with your spouse, washing an endless pile of clothes only to see the pile grow again and again. Politics, pandemics, medical diagnosis…You name it, life is full of joy stealers. And sometimes I don’t know where to rediscover the joy that has bolted from my life like a loose chicken!
But recently, I meditated on Psalm 1. As I read the verses, I discovered where to find the joy that goes missing from our lives. Psalm 1 gives us a map to the hidden treasure of joy. It tells us that joy is for those who do not follow the wicked, those who do not stand around with sinners or join with mockers. The joy is for those who “delight in the law of the Lord meditating on it day and night”. To delight in something is to have a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment in it. The “law of the Lord” is the Lord’s instructions. So, joy comes to those who have a high degree of enjoyment meditating (reflecting and contemplating) on God’s instructions. Delighting in God’s instructions redirects our heart and mind to Him and from the joy stealers.
In addition to joy, delighting in the “law of the Lord” makes you like a tree. For real. A tree! But not just any ‘ole tree. A tree planted along a riverbank. Think about it. A tree by a riverbank is not bothered by the heat or drought. It bears fruit. Its leaves never wither. It prospers! And we can be like that tree. Delighting in the law of the Lord solidly plants us by a riverbank. We won’t give way when the heat and pressures of life come on us. We won’t wither when the joy stealers sneak into our lives. Quite the opposite – we will thrive and flourish! When life throws you a curveball, it might take a few branches but it can’t knock you down. You will not be destroyed.
When God makes a promise, we can be sure He will keep it. And in Psalm 1, God promises joy to those who follow Him. He promises that He will watch over the path of the godly. He promises to care for and protect those whose life and character reflect Him. Living a godly life leads to real joy that can’t be stolen because our eyes, our hearts, and our minds are set on the real joy-giver.
© 2021 Robin R King
