Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-9
1Peter, Apostle of Jesus the Christ.
To the chosen refugees of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2by the foreknowledge of God the Father, made holy by the Spirit, because of the faithfulness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, grace to you and may peace be multiplied.
3May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised for God’s great mercy raising us to the hope of Life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4into an inheritance that is unperishing, pure, and permanent; which is kept in heaven for you. 5This is protected by God’s power, through faith in salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Rejoice in this, even if it is necessary for a little while to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your lives.
Questions
- Is there a difference between joy and happiness and if so what are the differences?
- Where do I find joy in life, and do I find joy from God’s presence?
- How can I rejoice amid life’s trials?
Background
Related Scriptures: Psalm 89:9-17, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;Revelation 19:1-10
In the Old Testament the term often translated joy refers to the triumphant shout and army might give after a victory and it is that emotion the Psalms often use to stress the joy of worship. Joy is also intimately connected to mourning and lament. Joy is the emotional response to the comfort that comes when trials and mourning end, or when one knows they are ending in the future.
Ritualized mourning was important because it was through connecting to the difficult times that one learned to speak joy.
For Peter joy is known in the trials because it is when we can see God’s grace in the difficulties of life that we know that we possess joy.
Joy is not simply emotional; it is also demonstrated in the habits and actions of a person. In this joy is disconnected from our emotional happiness.
We weep only until that morning of resurrection gladness, looking to the joy that blossomed in advance in the early-morning resurrection of the Lord[1]
Reflection
I think the most common question people ask me about joy is, “what is the difference between joy and happiness?” At a basic level happiness is an emotional response to a pleasant situation. That is happiness is when you can say, “I feel good” and genuinely mean it. Close synonyms might be untroubled, carefree, or cheerful. Joy too can have an emotional component such as a strong outburst of gladness (exultation), or a deep contentment. However, joy in the Bible is not rooted in emotions rather it is rooted in and developed by an intentional connection with God. Happiness is a response to life’s circumstances, things go well—I feel good. Joy is a response to life unconcerned with the circumstances—I will praise God in the high’s and low’s. In fact, in the Bible references to joy are focused around mourning. Whether in lament psalms, the prophets or Paul’s letter to the Philippians joy is connected with a person’s ability to connect to God in difficult times.
Throughout the Bible joy is described as being able to praise God and cling to salvation even in the midst of sorrow and pain. Joy is connected to an intentional commitment to worship and praise of God during the trying times of life. When Peter says to rejoice in the midst of trials (v6), he is telling us to continue to give time to praising God. This does not mean we cannot lament the trials, in fact we should lament. One of the greatest problems with our society is that we have made happiness into something like a moral good. We all simply want to be happy, free of pain and suffering. And some take this to extremes, never acknowledging the suffering and loss they experience. People are tempted to live in denial—never sitting in the grief and lamenting. And with this they never learn to cultivate true joy. Joy is the ability to praise God in the midst of our pain. Joy can often be confused with a stoic denial of pain and suffering, but joy still acknowledges the reality of the hurt. Someone who experiences joy still understands the pain they feel, the unfairness of life, the grief and loss circumstances have brought about. Yet, in all of this they see God’s glory and the salvation that God brings and so have a reason to shout in victory and praise. Even if the shout is somewhat muted. The joyous person does not always feel happy and does not deny the problems they and the world experience. The joyous person connects to those problems and feels them deeply. The joyous person, though, does not get bogged down in the problems because they understand God’s provisions in the midst of the problems.
So the question then is how does a person cultivate joy? How do we grow from the desire for simply happiness—a desire for pleasant emotions—to an ability to exult God at all times? The truth is we will always desire happiness, but happiness is not always available. This means we are looking to cultivate a mindset that is joyous even when we cannot be happy. Doing this begins with a setting our minds on praise. Joy begins in truly listening to the Bible when it uses imperatives like “Rejoice!” or “Exult!”, not simply reading the words on the page but stopping life and doing what it says. Are you content and happy right now? Read a passage like Psalm 122, consider what you have to be happy about and pause after verse 2 and take a minute to praise God for that. Praise God for what has you in a good mood. Are you in a time of grief and lament? Read a passage like Psalm 28 and consider what you are lamenting, pour out to God your grief and pain as you read the first half of the poem. Then when it calls you to rejoice, praise God for anything you can. You may not feel happy but the point is to cultivate the habit of praise. Not sure where you are? Try the same exercise with Psalm 30, think of a time in the past where you were hurting and how God or the Church helped you overcome it, and how you can exult God today. Joy is about using habits like this, or Sunday morning worship or listening to praise music. To remind ourselves of God’s presence and continued faithfulness. As we make these activities in to habits we begin to connect to the joy God’s Spirit provides. Joy is the tree that springs from the seed of praise, which is resistant to all the weather of life.
[1] Craig A. Blaising and Carmen S. Hardin, eds., Psalms 1–50, ACCS 224.
Squinting in the Light 
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