Yes, Sweet Joy!

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Though we can try to explain to the best of our limited, human ability the suffering through which Christ went at the cross, I suspect we can never fully comprehend what it was like for our Saviour. This much we know: it was enough to prompt the Lord to cry out in that haunting, solitary gasp, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me” (Matt. 27:46). What pain, what loneliness, what emptiness the Lord must have experienced!

Yet, for all this, the Bible declares that He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2). Yes, sweet joy! Even in the face of a lonely, painful, shameful death the Lord proclaims “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). If only we could truly master our fears and simply know that His “anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11). Therefore, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). Like Paul and Silas, though we be cast into the deepest, darkest dungeon, yet we can sing praises to God (Acts 16:23-25). Even though we are hauled before a council and beaten and threatened, we can rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5:40,41). We know that what we sow in tears, we reap in joy (Ps. 126:5).

The adversary of all that is holy and good will not leave the righteous untouched, at least not for long (I Pet. 5:8). It is when we endure these darts and arrows of outrageous fortune that our ability to rejoice in hope must be strongest (Matt. 5:11,12; Rom. 12:12). We obeyed the Lord rejoicing, sharing in the joys of heaven (Luke 15:9,10). We live each day of our life rejoicing that we have received the atonement (Rom. 5:11). We look forward each day to entering into the joy of our Lord (Matt. 25:21,23). And even though we partake of Christ’s sufferings, we should rejoice. Because when His glory shall be revealed, we may be glad also with exceeding joy (I Peter 4:13 ).

Eric L. Padgett