JOLT: Joy That Takes Your Breath Away

“I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

John 15:11 CSB

It takes my breath away; my first cup of coffee takes my breath away. When I take that first sip, I actually get a physical feeling of “AWWWW!!” It’s a breath that exhales and brings such goodness and joy to my soul. It’s physical, emotional, functional. In our continued discussion of joy, I thought it was a good idea for you to understand how much joy coffee actually brings to my soul and this is how I can best describe it.

Joy in our lives, though, is not a fleeting feeling. It is not a mood that comes and goes with ups and downs. It is not happiness or pleasure. It is unshakeable, a strength in the time of trial, a potency in times of despair. It is a feeling we carry with us. It is a deep breath we take when things seem out of control yet we know we can overcome. It is YHWH! A breath.

YHWH is a Hebrew word used 6,800 times in the Old Testament alone. It was the sacred, personal name of God for the people of Israel in the Old Testament. It is a word which has only consonants and the way it is pronounced is really not known. The English language does not have an actual translation for it. During the time of the Israelites, only the priests would say the name and only in the temple because it was such a mighty name people were afraid they would take the Lords name in vein if they used it. English scholars have added vowels to the word and it can often be seen printed as Yahweh and pronounced “YAH-way”.

If spoken, in the original Hebrew language, it is likely it would simply sound like an exhaling of your breath. Practice it. Say it like an exhaling breath. Similar to the sound I make when I first take a sip of coffee in the morning. Can you feel the joy in this breath? Can you sense the letting go of the stress in your shoulders? Can you experience the greatness of God in this simple name? This is joy. Joy should take your breath away. It should consume your soul and leave you with the impression if you release a deep breath everything will be taken care of.

Joy is a gift from our YHWH. It is a gift full of grace and given freely. The LORD wants to share this gift of joy with us as He shared with His disciples when He spoke, “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11 CSB) Jesus shared His great joy with His disciples in this verse. Jesus experienced such joy from His great father during the ordeals and hardships in His life. This joy lit up the darkest hours of His human life. A joy which could never be removed from His soul. The disciples were men who were facing events in their life none had ever seen. They had troubled hearts, wounded souls. Jesus shared with them a joy no sorrow could ever overcome. The joy of YHWH.

The first step to finding this joy is to give it a name. To proclaim it, out loud, that this is what you are longing for. To announce it to your best friend, your spouse, your Jesus, joy is what you are hungering for. It’s a yearning you know will change your life. It’s an ache you want to extinguish by a simple exhaled breath.

Now that you have named it and you have made it very clear you want to progress toward this unexplainable, free gift, you need to own it! This joy is essential to your well-being. It is a vital necessity you must capture in order to be free from the pain and unhappiness which overcomes you. On our own joy is impossible, but nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37) Owning the notion of joy means you will begin to put your full trust in Jesus Christ and what He freely promises you. Putting your trust in Him does not mean you deny what is happening in your life. It doesn’t mean you pretend what you are going through is not real, or you reject reality. “Joy embraces all the senses and is fully awake to the laughter, the wonder, and the beauty present in the moment as well as the sorrow, the angst, and the fear. Joy says, “Even so, I have a reason to celebrate.” (Eldredge, 2018). This is our God. This is what He asked Jesus to show us here on this earth. This is where we own it and bend to the Great God who can bring us the joy we are searching for. He is the one who laughs at all the enemy wants to bring into our lives and tells him to flee. He is the one who is able to show you what the blessings are that surround you when you are struggling with reality and circumstances of everyday life.

Paul wrote about his joy in the book of Philippians. In the 4 chapters of the book, he uses the word joy sixteen times all while waiting to be executed. He knew the unfathomable, profound, first-hand knowledge of the joy one can experience when we fix our eyes on Jesus. He wasn’t denying what was happening to him as he sat in prison, he just had the hope and joy which is available to all of us no matter what our circumstances. Afterall, Jesus went to the cross for this joy. He persevered the cross for the joy He would receive from His Father, so ultimately, we would be able to receive the same joy (Hebrews 12:2).

Joy is vowed for us NOW. In Psalms 30:5 it sings, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” We get to experience joy everyday when we own it. We get to relish in joy through every hardship when we place all our hope in Jesus Christ even when our lives might be difficult.

When we own joy. When we allow Christ to be the source of our joy and look to Him to be ever present during our struggles, joy will be there. Just as Christ is there at every turn, joy will pursue us as well.

Are you ready to own joy? Are you ready to have your breath taken away by YHWH?

How can you own this joy today?

In the comments, share the ways you can begin to own joy in your life. If you believe your life is filled with this joy, please share how you came to this wonderful accomplishment. Our readers need to be blessed by your thoughts and sharing.

Prayer:

Jesus, You offer free, unconditional joy. Thank You for this gift that can change lives. I pray today for each reader who is searching for something to turn their lives around. I pray for each reader who needs something that will get them through the hardship of life and onto living a life of joy given by You. Please touch each heart that is reaching out for Your joy and show them the light that comes from simply breathing Your name, YHWH! I pray this in Your precious name, Amen.

References

Eldredge, S. (2018). Defiant Joy. Nashville: Harper-Collins Christian Publishing, Inc.