Have you ever felt like you’re walking through life with a roadmap, only to discover that you’ve been reading it upside down?…Maybe you planned for smooth sailing, but instead you’re navigating stormy seas…Perhaps you expected a season of celebration, but found yourself in a time of grief. Sometimes, life has a way of taking unexpected turns that can leave us wondering where our joy went—and if we’ll ever find it again.
But here’s a truth that can transform everything for us as believers in Yeshua: we can have joy in every season!
What if joy isn’t about what’s happening around us, but about what’s happening within us? What if the secret to unshakeable joy isn’t found in perfect circumstances, but in a perfect God who never changes, regardless of our circumstances?
The Foundation of Eternal Joy
Paul, writing from a Roman prison cell, wrote these important words:
“Rejoice in the Lord always—again I will say, rejoice!”
PHilippians 4:4 TLV
Notice how Paul didn’t say “rejoice when everything is going well” or “rejoice when you feel like it.”? He said always–from a prison cell, while facing an uncertain future, and while separated from the people he loved most.
This reveals something profound about Biblical joy versus happiness. Happiness depends on what happens—it’s circumstantial, temporary, and fragile. But joy? Joy runs much deeper, it isn’t about feeling happy all the time, it’s a deep-rooted assurance that we belong to God, that our future is secure, and that nothing can separate us from His love! When we understand that our identity, our security, and our future are all held safely in God’s hands, we can discover a wellspring of joy that earthly circumstances simply cannot touch.
Biblical Heroes Who Found Joy in Darkness
All throughout Scripture, we see incredible examples of people who discovered this deep, abiding joy even in the midst of their most difficult seasons. Their stories remind us that joy isn’t reserved for the easy times—it’s often most radiant in the darkness.
Joseph: Joy Despite Betrayal and Imprisonment
Joseph’s story reads like a masterclass in finding purpose in pain. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and forgotten in prison for years—by any human measure, Joseph had every reason to be bitter, angry, and hopeless.
Yet when Joseph finally had the opportunity to name his children, listen to what he chose: He named his sons Manasseh, “because God has caused me to forget all my trouble” and Ephraim, “because God has made me fruitful in the land of my oppression” (Genesis 41:51-52).
Even more remarkably, when Joseph finally confronted his brothers who had betrayed him, he declared:
Joseph didn’t just survive his difficult seasons—he thrived in them because he learned to see God’s hand even in the darkest chapters. His joy came not from his circumstances changing, but from recognizing God’s faithful presence and purpose even in the pain!
Job: Joy in the Midst of Devastation
If anyone had a right to question God’s goodness, it was certainly Job. He lost his children, his wealth, his health, and even faced harsh criticism from the people who should have comforted him. Yet in the depths of his suffering, Job made declarations that echo through the ages:
“Even if He slays me, I will wait for Him;”
job 13:15 TLV
And even more powerfully:
“Yet I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end, He will stand on earth. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;”
job 19:25-26 TLV
Job maintained hope and even worship in his darkest hour because his joy wasn’t rooted in what he possessed, but in whom he belonged to. He understood that even when everything visible was stripped away, his relationship with God remained intact, and that was enough to sustain him.
Joy in God’s Perfect Timing
As we explored in our recent blog post, Walking Out God’s Plans…Not Our Own, there’s profound joy to be found when we surrender our plans to His perfect will. When we stop fighting against God’s timing and start trusting His wisdom, we discover that joy isn’t dependent on getting what we want when we want it—it flows from knowing that we’re held by the One who sees the end from the beginning.
“For everything there is a season and a time for every activity under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 TLV
Joy comes from trusting His timing, not demanding our own. When we align our hearts with God’s purposes and trust His schedule, we find peace in the waiting, purpose in the process, and yes—even joy in the journey. Sometimes the most beautiful chapters of our lives are written not when we get what we planned, but when we surrender our plans to the Author of our story.
Cultivating Joy in Our Own Lives
3 Practical Ways to Accomplish This…
While joy is ultimately a gift from God, there are practical ways we can position our hearts to receive and nurture this gift in our daily lives…
Gratitude: The Gateway to Joy
“–in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 TLV
Gratitude isn’t just a nice idea, it’s a powerful discipline that shifts our focus from what we lack to what we’ve been given. Consider starting a thankful journal where you write down five things you’re grateful for every day, and watch how this simple practice will begin to change your perspective and open your heart to joy, even in the challenging seasons.
Dwelling in His Presence
“You make known to me the path of life. Abundance of joys are in Your presence, eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” – Psalms 16:11 TLV
Joy isn’t something we work up—it’s something we step into when we enter God’s presence. Personal prayer time and Bible study aren’t just things on our to-do lists as believers, they’re invitations into the very presence of the One who is the source of all joy. When we make time to be with God, we will find ourselves filled with His joy!
Community: Joy Multiplied
“–I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of Adonai.'” – Psalms 122:1 TLV
We weren’t designed to walk this journey alone. When we gather for our weekly Shabbat services, participate in community events, and share life with fellow believers, we discover that joy is contagious. We encourage one another, share each other’s burdens, and celebrate God’s faithfulness together. If you haven’t already, we invite you to join us for our weekly gatherings—you’ll find that joy is always multiplied when shared.
When Life Gets Hard, Remember This…
Life’s seasons change, but our eternal hope remains constant. Tough times don’t negate our reasons for rejoicing because we have the ultimate purpose in life through our Messiah! Our joy isn’t dependent on temporary circumstances because it’s anchored in eternal realities.
Just as we learned about surrendering our plans to God’s perfect will, when we align our hearts with His purposes, we discover that joy isn’t dependent on our circumstances changing—it flows from our relationship with the unchanging God. The same God who worked all things together for good in Joseph’s life is working all things together for good in yours. The same God who sustained Job in his darkest hour is sustaining you in yours.
Today—right now, in whatever season you find yourself—you have a choice. You can focus on what’s going wrong, or you can focus on the God who never goes wrong. You can dwell on your circumstances, or you can dwell in His presence. You can wait for life to give you reasons to be joyful, or you can remember that you already have the greatest reason for joy that has ever existed: you are beloved, you are secure, and you are held by the God who works all things together for good.
So choose joy today…Choose it when the bills are due and the bank account is low, choose it when relationships are strained and hearts are heavy, and choose it when the future looks uncertain and the path ahead seems unclear, because we serve a good God!
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