David, the King of Israel and the Psalmist, said, “You, God, are my God., earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, and my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” He had experienced God’s power and glory to such an extent that he cried out, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” David was a man after God's own heart. His words were a testimony to his undying desire for the Lord God Almighty. He wanted to be in God’s presence all the time. When David was seeking God, desiring God, praising God and glorifying God he was experiencing great joy.

Christians are at their best when they are full of the joy of the Lord. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” Why then are there so many weak Christians? Why are there such a large number of professed followers of Christ who are not filled with the joy of the Lord God Almighty? Let’s face it, there are a lot of grumpy, discontented Christians in our churches. If we are trusting and living in the power of Jesus Christ why are we not strong in his joy? The fact is that having joy in our lives depends on more than just being saved. Our joy comes from rejoicing in God, in his salvation, in his love, in his blessings, in his faithfulness, and basically in who he is. We are told to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4  We have joy by experiencing God’s presence, desiring His presence, and remaining in his presence. We can’t help but rejoice when we are in his presence.

The only source of joy is God. Joy is but the the result of being in God. God is the object of our joy. If our lives are not daily focused on the presence of God in our lives we will not have joy. It is impossible to be filled with joy when we leave God out of our lives. I have thought about the times I have not experienced joy in my life. This has occurred when I have been self centered and have not had that thirst for God, when I have not desired him as I should. As I really considered this I realized that I needed to ask God to forgive me for not having a burning desire for him the way David did. I needed to ask him to forgive me for not thirsting for him as the deer pants for streams of water and for not earnestly seeking after him. My prayer is that I will be in God’s presence always and that I will never let him go. That I believe is the way to be filled with his joy.

Other Scripture References: Nehemiah 8, Psalm 42, and Psalm 63