Joy Unspeakable

I Peter 1:8

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Life can be lived with joy.  It is possible for joy to define our existence as Christians.  When we read about joy throughout the Bible, we find it possible for joy to be the foundation for every experience and circumstance we find ourselves in.  We can have joy in the good times and the bad times.  We can have joy in the easy times and the difficult times.  We can have joy in the calm and peaceful times and during the storms.  How can this be?  It is easy for us to understand joy in the context of good experiences, but it does not make sense to us logically to know joy in the middle of trials and sorrow.

In James 1:2, we are instructed to count it all joy when we go through many different types of trials.  In I Peter 1:6-7, we understand that it is possible to rejoice even when our faith is being tried.  The Psalms teach us that weeping may endure for the night, but joy will come in the morning.  When we put all of this truth together, we can understand that joy is present before the trial, during the trial, and after the trial.  Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “the joy of the LORD is your strength”.

Let us now go back to our verse for today.  There is one truth that makes all of this possible in our lives.  Our joy must centered and focused on one person, Jesus.  We have never seen Him, but we love Him.  We love Him because we have believed in Him.  We have believed in Him because of everything that God’s Word has revealed to us about Him.  Because we have believed God’s Word and trusted Jesus for our salvation, we can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.  We can rejoice because our past is gone and forgiven.  We can rejoice because our present situation is in God’s control and is bound by God’s promises.  We can rejoice because our future is eternally secure and the glory that awaits us is beyond description.  We can live a life of joy!!!