When I first moved to Calgary, I was working at a young church. I love working with junior high/middle school aged kids. Our church had a thriving children's department but several of the kids were starting to age out of that group and had nothing for them specifically. God burdened me to start at class on Sunday mornings specifically for this age group with the hopes of it turning into a youth group when they were old enough (which it did!). I wanted a cool name for this class so I started thinking and praying. I ended up naming the class G522 and while it may not have been super cool it had a much deeper meaning. G522 stands for Galatians 5:22 which says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." My burden was to teach these kids about the fruit of the Spirit and how it could be a part of their every day lives. We spent the first 8-12 weeks talking about this verse and the first part of the next one. I was amazed at how often these 9 fruits came up every week in some form over the five years I taught this class. I loved those kids and learned a lot myself teaching them about it.
Twice this week the topic of the fruit of the Spirit has come up. In a world where chaos seems to reign, I have been reminded that God is sovereign. He has given His children the Holy Spirit so we can experience these fruits daily, hourly, minutely (is that a word??). At different seasons and on different days, I need different fruits.
This morning I was convicted of my lack of joy. A quick online search in my Bible app tells me that the word joy can be found 210 times throughout Scripture in the NIV translation. My favourite Bible verse is "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13). I usually am focused on this verse for the hope that comes from it. Today I am focused on the joy I can be filled with. Joy has no dependence on me making it happen. Joy is not something I can create. Joy is something that God wants to fill me with through His Holy Spirit. Not just give me a taste of it - FILL me with it. So why do I not feel full of joy today? I have tried to fill myself with other things. Things like being useful to God, being useful to people, my identity in the roles I play, my sickness and recovery, my loneliness, my depression, and more. These are things that I need to confess and let God remove to make room for the joy and peace He wants to fill me with so I can know the hope that He promises. Too much of my focus has been given to these things so I am missing out on the joy that God so desperately wants to give me.
As I was reading through the verses mentioned in my app I noticed a pattern. In the Old Testament, about half of the verses were about the Israelites and their loss of joy. I could relate to them a good bit as I was reading. The other majority of the joy verses in the Old Testament were a result of celebration of the things God has done. It's amazing to think that a simple shift in focus and perspective can start filling you with joy. In the New Testament, the Gospels have lots of references that come from knowing Jesus and the joy that He brings. I was also humbled and encouraged by Paul's use of joy from the perspective of a spiritual mentor. The joy that comes when his spiritual children are doing great things for God. I feel that one a lot. James talks about joy in trials and joy after humbling ourselves and making room for God in our hearts and lives. It was the James 4 passage that started me down this path this morning.
So here is my prayer for myself and for you if you need it too:
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12
Bonus verses that jumped out to me as I was scanning the list in my app today:
For seven days celebrate the festival to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete. Deuteronomy 16:15
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8
