Choosing Joy This Year

Joy, unspeakable joy, An overflowing well, No tongue can tell

Joy, unspeakable joy, Rises in my soul, Never lets me go

So says the Chris Tomlin chorus of “Joy To The World” by Isaac Watts. This Christmas season choosing joy seems more difficult than other years, but it is a choice I must make today and daily. I learned to choose joy many years ago from an old song “I Choose Joy” sung by Larnell Harris. The chorus says:

I choose joy,
I’ll never let the problems keep me down
‘Cause I know the Lord will work things out
For my good, I choose joy, joy, joy

I wait expectantly for God to fulfill the promises He made to me regarding health, provision, and relationship. They originate with a Bible study in my home in the 1990s and were confirmed with the gift from my mother of her wedding ring from her second marriage. The promises are intertwined according to the revelations God has given me about when my health began to fail. Lack of fulfillment of my primary love language affected my health. Believing God is a good Father Who cares for me is a lesson I continue to learn.

This season of quarantine highlights my need for partnership; only by grace have I maintained my ability to choose joy and praise in prayer, worship, and encouragement of others. Each time I gather with other believers, whether at lunch with a sweet sister in the Lord, dinner with a group of longtime friends, or at a church service, I choose to allow joy to well up in my soul to do the task God gave me when He called me to encourage the body of Christ through prophecy, word of knowledge, and word of wisdom. I choose joy by seeking His presence in both prayer and worship, both privately and corporately, whether online or in person. One of David’s psalms explains how this happens. We are filled with joy in the presence of God:

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

I encourage all my friends to seek the face of God daily that His presence my fill us anew with joy, for it is sharing our joy that helps others understand our peace.