The Gift of Joy
by: Tamra Richardt
October 8, 2025
“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I say “Rejoice!”
You know, sometimes, I just want to be mad. Sometimes I don’t want to be joyful, and you can forget about rejoicing! Sometimes I just don’t get why God doesn’t answer my prayer when I’ve applied every scripture I can possibly find to address the problem. Or when I have bruises on my knees for all the hours I’ve been in prayer and petition.
Why are my children running amuck when they were raised with Christian values, and why are my finances in disarray when I’ve faithfully tithed and given to God? Why is my spouse behaving like a nitwit when he claims to be a Christian, or why did I yell at my neighbor and call her actions “stupid,” when I know this is not Christ-like behavior?
Sometimes my problems are bigger than my faith.
This may be a little different devotional than you were expecting when you opened up your email today. But hang in there....revelations are coming.
In the book of 1 Samuel, Chapters 23, 24 and 26,the story of David, and King Saul’s relentless pursuit of his life, is laid out in detail. David had served King Saul well, had comforted him on his harp when Saul was troubled in spirit, and had been his faithful armor bearer and servant. But Saul’s jealousy and insecurities drove him repeatedly to try to extinguish David’s life. Time and time again, David had to run and hide from Saul and his elite squad of assassins.
“After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-Gedi. So, Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats” (New Living Translation, 1 Samuel 24:1, 2).
I’d say repeatedly running for your life, especially when innocent of any crime, would be discouraging. It would be utterly exhausting, frightening and down-right frustrating. Personally, I might even be angry. But certainly not joyful! David had this to say:
“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I WILL put my hope in God! I WILL praise Him again- my Savior and my God!” (NLT, Psalm 42:11)
In Psalm 13, David is lamenting his anguish and struggles, feeling like the enemy has the upper hand- but still has this to say:
“But I trust in your unfailing love. I WILL rejoice because you have rescued me.” (NLT, Psalm 13:5).
Similarly, there is an Old Testament prophet named Habakkuk who penned an open statement of faith regardless of utter and complete catastrophe, when he said this:
“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines: even though the olive crop fails and the fields lie empty and barren: even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I WILL rejoice in the Lord! I WILL be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (NLT, Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Both David and Habakkuk used these captivating and somewhat elusive words, “I WILL be joyful!” What does this mean for us when we’re facing insurmountable odds or just having a really bad day. “I WILL?”
Here’s what I’m only beginning to understand. Next to salvation, another of God’s greatest gifts to us is our free will. The ability to choose. And, yes, joy and rejoicing is indeed a choice of our free will. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? But how do we willfully choose joy and rejoice, when we just can’t.
The answer is Holy Spirit.
God has gifted us with His precious, powerful and present Holy Spirit to be our companion and our guide. We have been gifted to invite Holy Spirit to not only be our companion and guide, but to have FULL ACCESS to our free will, to have full authority to operate in and through us, so that our thoughts become His thoughts, our words become His words, and our actions become His actions. Our hearts become His heart, our hands become His hands, and our steps become His steps. Full Access. Full Surrender.
When we can’t, He can.
Holy Spirit is a joy machine. Perfect in function. He never gets tired, never gives up, never surrenders, is never frustrated, never discouraged, is never hopeless, and is never defeated. He is the armor of God. He is the helmet of salvation. He is the breastplate of righteousness, and He is the Word of God. He is joy personified. And He has overcome the world. Hallelujah!
God has beautifully gifted us with His transcendent Holy Spirit of joy and rejoicing, so that we can access Him anytime we need. He can literally rejoice in and through us. All we need do is ask. Isn’t that awesome? I’ll admit I’ve been needing Holy Spirit to rejoice through me quite a bit lately!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, creator of all things and the lover of my soul, I ask You to forgive me for fixing on those disappointments that discourage me. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed frustrations to shift my faith-focus. Help me to be grateful for all You’ve done in my life.
I invite Holy Spirit to take the reins of my mind, will and emotions. I surrender fully to Him, inviting Him to live joyfully through me - even in my darkest days. Thank You for this wonderful gift. I WILL rejoice in the Lord always!
Worship: Joy, Joy, Joy
Related Posts
You know, sometimes, I just want to be mad. Sometimes I don’t want to be joyful, and you can forget about rejoicing! Sometimes I just don’t get why God doesn’t answer my prayer when I’ve applied every scripture I can possibly find to address the problem. Or when I have bruises on my knees for all the hours I’ve been in prayer and petition.