Blue? It’s for the Birds!

Blue! It’s a fabulous color on birds, in all of its various shades. But, let’s face it, it’s NOT a good color for us. We all have our down and out moments, and sometimes those moments stretch into days and even weeks. Certainly, the last few months have taxed many people for many reasons, but I’m not going to mention all the things that may have our happy tanks running on empty. I don’t want us to start thinking about those things, but, instead, I want us to focus on filling those tanks again – becoming full of joy! (Please know that if you are one of the many people who suffer from a form of depression, I understand that feeling happy or joyful is not just a “choice” you can make, but I hope that the scriptures here can still provide some comfort.)

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The only way I know to stay joyful is to stay in God’s word. The Bible definitely has a lot to say about joy, so let’s start by taking a look at a few verses.

• Psalm 16:11 – You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
• Psalm 32:11 – Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
• Psalm 33:1 – Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
• Psalm 47:1 – Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
• Psalm 66:1 – Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
• Psalm 81:1 – Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
• Psalm 118:24 – This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
• Proverbs 17:22 – A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
• Proverbs 10:28 – The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
• Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
• Romans 15:13 – 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.
• Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
• I Thessalonians 5:16 – Rejoice always,……
• James 1:2 – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,…..

And those are just a few of the many verses that mention joy or rejoicing.

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I don’t think God would tell us in his word to “rejoice always” if it weren’t possible to do it. Of course, we will experience sadness and trials, but we can still rejoice in the midst of difficult times. Habakkuk says in Habakkuk 3:17-19, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.”

And I can’t go without mentioning the Apostle Paul and his hardships. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 says, “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” In spite of Paul’s many difficulties, and in spite of being imprisoned, Paul was still able to express joy and talk about rejoicing in his letter to the Philippians. He was even able to say “for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11)

Paul recognized that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21). Christ was his reason for contentment and joy. And Christ is our reason for joy as well! His birth, his life, his death and his resurrection are the sources of our joy! Matthew 2:10 says “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Luke 2:10 says, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'” In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” (Luke 6:20b-23) We can read in Matthew 28:8 that after Christ had risen “they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” At Christ’s ascension, Luke tells us in 24:52, “And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.”

Peter does an excellent job of summarizing the reason for our joy in 1 Peter 1:3-9. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

What a reason to rejoice!

The group, for King & Country, sings a song entitled “Joy,” that really peps me up when I’m a little down. It’s a very energetic song, which makes me feel good, but its message is good as well. “And I choose joy. Let it move you!” Christians have reason to rejoice – no matter the circumstances. Choose joy, because being blue is for the birds!

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