When we think of joyful people, we tend to picture super-happy celebrities, comedians, or people who seem to smile all the time. We think of the people we see on Instagram, sitting on their boats, hopping from one island to another on holiday, clinking their glasses and cheering whatever it is they’re celebrating.
When we think of happiness and joy, we think of wealth, comfort, and celebration.
But there are two people in the Bible whom we would never associate with joy.
One is a man in the Old Testament named Habakkuk. The other is a man in the New Testament named Paul.
Habakkuk was told that his land would be invaded and his people would suffer devastation.
Paul spent so much time in prison that it became a defining part of his ministry.
And yet, listen to Habakkuk’s words:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.— Habakkuk 3:17–18 (NIV)
And Paul? He wrote what is often considered the happiest letter in the New Testament: the letter to the Philippians. In it, he says:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NIV)
Habakkuk, in the face of devastating news, and Paul, while in prison, knew a kind of joy that many of us struggle to find, even when we have the freedom to enjoy all that life has to offer.
Because joy is not ultimately about our circumstances. It is about Jesus.
And Habakkuk and Paul knew Him, even in the worst of circumstances.
And that meant they could still have joy.
