Read the Psalm

Joy reorients us as we journey home toward deepening intimacy with God and the experience of His love and presence. It is toward joy that the Psalms of Ascent turn in Psalm 122. “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” Simply the idea and thought of being in the Lord’s presence brings joy. In this, we might see an invitation to meditation … meditating on the glories of being with Him. The pilgrim had not yet arrived in Jerusalem but this prayer is expressed as a current reality.

Joy is transformative. It transports us into what can be in the future. The pray-er of this psalm prays, “Our feet have been standing within your gates.” We can experience the fullness of the future to a degree in this present moment. Psalm 16:11 tells us that “in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” We are always standing in the presence of God even as a fuller experience of that presence will be coming. Jesus often referred to eternal life (or the kingdom of God) as being a present reality (Luke 17:20-21; John 5:24; 6:54; 1 John 5:11) while also acknowledging that there is a fuller experience of His presence in the future (Luke 23:42-43).

Joy or gladness is a sense of being content and satisfied. In a world where contentment can feel quite elusive, Psalm 122 leads us to see clearly that contentment and satisfaction are found in the house of the Lord. His presence. His love. His goodness. This is joy. 

In Psalm 4, the prayer follows a similar pattern to the Psalms of Ascent, acknowledging distress and then moving to joy: “You have put more joy in my heart than when their grain and wine abound.” Amidst opposition and discouraging circumstances, joy is a defiant stance. Joy says: no matter what things may look like, there is something more, something deeper. And joy is a gift … placed in our hearts by the Lord. How do we access this gift? For the one praying Psalm 122, it is through the imagination as we see ourselves standing inside the gates of Jerusalem.

In Hebrews 12:1-2, Jesus focuses on joy as a part of His journey and it is represented as a model for us as we are on our own journeys:

“ … and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

There was joy set before Him. Certainly, there was nothing in the immediate circumstances that was joyful in and of itself. There was nothing that would have brought pleasure, but Jesus meditated on the joy to come. What was that joy? The joy of “giving his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) What will occur in the future brought joy in the present time of affliction. 

As we walk forward on our journeys and experience fear, uncertainty, and doubt, our temptation can be to try to find solace in the moment. Often, there is none but we frequently have “muscle memory” (reactions) that lead us to seek joy in our own efforts. We may want to look to things that help us fight or flee from the present or perhaps even to numb ourselves. However, meditating on what will be can infuse the present moment with joy. As I see myself near to God, even as I feel far away, I am brought into the reality that God is with me even now as well as the future.

The invitation of joy (practicing joy) is to live in the larger reality of God’s nearness. As we encouraged to rejoice always in Philippians 4, it is based on the truest truth in the universe: “the Lord is near.” (verse 5) Near! He is not far away. As we practice joy through meditating on God’s presence, we know His nearness in a way that goes beyond intellectual comprehension. We know it in our bones, to the core of our being.

Reflection questions: Take a few moments to meditate on God’s presence, using your imagination to perceive the fullness of being in His presence. Next, notice how He is with you right now.

Prayer: Lord, I choose to practice joy … to courageously see myself in Your presence … knowing that You are near even now. Enliven my imagination. May the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight. Amen.