Rejoice!

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

-- Isaiah 12:3

There’s not much to feel happy about these days — at least according to the news media. But the truth is that billions around the world would do just about anything to trade places with us. That’s because even the poorest of the poor in the United States are considered rich (at least statistically) when compared with much of humanity.

Of course, poverty and wealth are relative terms. And they don’t respectively go hand-in-hand with misery and happiness. Money and possessions can be blessings, but having a big bank account is no guarantee of contentment. The 2018 Gallup Global Emotions poll seems to confirm this biblical truth. It revealed that Paraguay — a relatively poor nation — has a population with some of the most positive emotions in the world. And the peoples of other impoverished lands such as Ecuador, Guatemala and Uzbekistan follow close behind on the happy list. Meanwhile, Singapore — a nation with one of the highest per capita gross domestic products (GDP) — didn’t make the survey’s Top 10. Even the residents of El Salvador and Indonesia were more upbeat!

Regardless of what the marketers say, money and possessions

can’t buy joy and happiness. In fact, the Bible reveals that for many people, wealth can be a stumbling block to spiritual health. Rather than a reaction to something external, like a new car or a diamond ring, real joy is an internal source of gladness and thanksgiving that helps us see the true picture though the most difficult of circumstances. As Christ-followers, our relationship with Jesus grants us access to our Creator, a loving Father who hears our prayers and looks for ways to bless us. So no matter how bad things get in our lives, we already know that our ultimate story will end on a very positive note.

The life of the apostle Paul is a rich illustration of this important principle:  

“Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,” he wrote in 2 Corinthians. “I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.”

That doesn’t sound like a fun-filled existence. Yet Paul wrote that he was joyful.

With so much negativity in the world today, what’s the secret for achieving a joy-filled, Christ-centered life? The Bible tells us to blend thanksgiving for our blessings and authentic, regular prayer with discernment — the ongoing, intentional functions of living, thinking and acting positively. Christ-followers must habitually look for the good and dwell on the positive.

When we have lives that are filled with joy, even the most unpleasant of circumstances can’t bring us down. Paul spent years in prison chained to his guards while under the constant threat of death. But he always prayed thankfully. And instead of feeling sorry for himself, he used his plight to change the lives of fellow prisoners and jailers alike — all while writing much of what we today know as the New Testament.

The human experience is often difficult, and many people feel that they have little to smile about. But Paul’s advice to weary Christ-followers remains both simple and profound:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”