There’s a line from a song that’s been going through my mind a lot lately – “There ain’t nothing going to steal my joy.” As we look at what’s going on around us in the world today, that line seems a little absurd. There are many things that could steal our joy right now, along with any peace or hope we might be able to cling to.

But this line is scriptural, because Jesus said in John 16:22, “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.” We are living in times of great sorrow now, but we have the hope that we will see Jesus again. No one can rob us of the joy we have in belonging to Jesus.

Of course, we have an enemy who thinks he can. Satan has one purpose, and Jesus tells us what that is in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” He has deceived us into thinking he really can steal our joy. But the truth is that even though the enemy can’t steal our joy, we can give it to him.

How often do we give into discouragement, fear, worry, anxiety, or any other means the enemy throws out at us, to get us to give our joy away to him? Probably more times that we can count. Leo Buscaglia has said, “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy.”

Now that we know we are the ones who give away our joy, peace and the hope we have in God, how do we hold onto them when fear, worry, sorrow and discouragement come calling? We must find our refuge in the Lord and the many promises in His word to us. We give up our joy when we start doubting God and His promises.

When fear comes knocking on our door, we can combat that with 1 John 4:18. There is no fear in love, but God’s perfect love casts out fear. When we focus on the perfect love that God has for us, His unconditional, unwavering, overwhelming love, a love that will never leave us nor forsake us, we can cast all fear aside and take our refuge in the Lord’s love for us.

When worry and anxiety make their presence known to us, then it’s time for Philippians 4:6-7. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

So many have endured great sorrow and grief, but we can look to God’s promises for the comfort and hope we need to rise again into a place of joy. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us that God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” We need to learn to cry out with the Psalmist, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God!” (Psalms 42:11).

“May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 482-5300.