- Psalm 126:2

 

        In a world that seems to be facing more and more uncertainties it sure is good to know that we are on the winning side!  The more desperate the enemy becomes in trying to get us to be moved by fear, the more certain I am that holding fast to a merry heart is a major key to living a life of unshakable faith. Paul said, "Not that I speak of respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11).  I like the way the 20th Century translation reads: "Do not think that I am saying this under the pressure of want. For however I am placed, I at least, have learnt to be independent of circumstances."  To be independent of circumstances is learning how to use your faith amidst any and everything the enemy throws your way to where you are not shaken the least bit. 

        

        This is where keeping your joy can make all the difference in the world. If you can learn to laugh at adversity, if you can purpose in your heart to sing when there seems to be no song worth singing, then you will find the secret to fortifying your heart against anything the enemy tries to throw your way. I think this is what John had in mind when he told the church: "These things write we unto you that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:4).  He knew staying full of joy was the paramount issue in living a fortified life. He also knew that if we are ever going to win when everything around us is screaming in our face defeat, we must learn to maintain our joy so that nothing can get inside us to swerve us off of our faith.

        Paul understood this same concept. He told the elders at Miletus, "And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me" (Acts 20:22-23).  In response to such a thought, he adds: "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy..." (Acts 20:24). What Paul wanted them to know was this: "If I allow circumstances to move me, then there is a good chance it will rob me of my joy.  And if I lose my joy, I lose the strength of God that has carried me through even the most darkest and dangerous of situations!" 

          

        One thing that joy does is it helps stabilize your life when your faith is under attack. The forces of darkness are always at work and they are working hard to rob you of the reality of what faith can do.  That is why your joy is constantly under siege. Think about it.  The Bible says, "The joy of the Lord is our strength" (Neh. 8:10).  It also says, "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small" (Pro. 24:10).  What better way to rob you of your strength than to buffet you with a barrage of attacks that hopefully will cause you to lose your joy.

        So what is your best defense? It's learning how to stay full of joy no matter what it looks like. Learn to sing and shout when the battle is raging.  There are songs of deliverance like the one Moses and the children of Israel sang "...saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and the rider hath he thrown into the sea" (Exo. 15:1). Stir up your joy by reminding the enemy that he is a defeated foe! Right in the midst of your troubles you will find that the hand of God can and will still the enemy and the avenger! (Psa.8:2)  God has always used songs of joy as a means of ordaining strength! 

        Psalm 137 says, "By the river of Babylon there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.  We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away required of us a song....how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" (Psa. 137:1-4). Unfortunately, this is where many of God's people have chosen to live.  They have allowed the cares of this world to steal their song, and in so doing, it has robbed them of the joy that helps maintain a fortified life.

        Don't let this be your outcome!  Be like those who trusted God, whose help came when they sang the song of the Lord!  David said, "Let God arise and his enemies be scattered" (Psa. 68:1). We think of this as just a verse to the book of Psalms, but it was actually a song.  From Psalm one-twenty to Psalm one-thirty four we have what are called songs of degrees. The idea with each song of degree was to ascend in praise. In other words, you were to go up higher and higher in praise until it made you impervious to the waves of adversity. Psalm one-twenty six says "And when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing..."  That's what it takes to live a fortified life.  We sing until we ascend! Until we rise above every fiery dart that comes our way and the joy of our God shields us against all our enemies.