Joy is a Choice

Walk Wednesday

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when...”

“I’ll be happy when the kids are grown.”

“I’ll be happy when this project is over.”

“I’ll be happy when life settles down.”

I know I have.

The problem is, when we live that way, joy is always waiting for the next milestone. We convince ourselves that happiness is just around the corner, and in the process, we miss the blessings God has already placed in today.

Earlier this year, I decided to begin a simple new prayer practice.

Every morning, before I wrote anything else in my prayer journal, I wrote three words across the top of the page in giant letters:

PRAY FOR JOY

Then I prayed three simple words:

“God, I pray for joy.”

At first, it almost felt too simple.

Could those three little words really make a difference?

Surprisingly... they have.

Now, I want to be honest with you. By nature, I tend to lean toward melancholy. Maybe it’s the Irish storyteller in me. I naturally notice what could go wrong. I like to prepare for the worst. Even in good moments, I sometimes hesitate to fully enjoy them because I’m afraid they won’t last.

Perhaps some of you know exactly what I mean.

It isn’t that I don’t notice the good.

It’s that I sometimes struggle to trust it.

But after praying for joy every day for the past nine months, something has quietly begun to change.

Not because my life suddenly became easier.

Not because every problem disappeared.

But because God has been changing my heart.

I’ve begun to notice joy in places I used to overlook. I’ve become quicker to recognize God’s goodness and slower to expect the worst.

So what have I learned?

Ask God for what you desire.

Sometimes we forget that God actually wants us to ask.

Jesus tells us to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.

If you long for peace... ask.

If you long for patience... ask.

If you long for joy... ask.

And then keep asking.

Not because God hasn’t heard you, but because persistent prayer changes us while God is answering.

Notice when your prayers are being answered.

When you begin experiencing moments of joy, stop and acknowledge them.

Thank God for them.

One of the reasons I journal is because it helps me recognize His faithfulness. Every time I write down a joyful moment, I create a reminder for my future self:

Joy is possible.

Weed the garden.

Not everything that fills our lives helps us flourish.

Some habits steal our joy.

Some thought patterns steal our joy.

Sometimes even certain commitments need pruning.

Ask God to show you what is blocking the joy He wants to grow in your life—and then have the courage to remove it.

Surround yourself with joyful people.

Joy is contagious.

This year I have been blessed to meet several people whose joy seems to overflow into everyone around them.

Being with them has expanded my understanding of what Christian joy can look like.

Their witness reminds me that joy isn’t pretending life is perfect.

It is trusting that God is.

I don’t believe any of this is an accident.

Prayers have been answered.

My thinking has begun to change.

And while I can’t promise I’ll never have melancholy days—I suspect that’s simply part of how God created me—I do believe those days are now being sprinkled with something they weren’t before.

Joy.

Maybe that’s because joy isn’t something we manufacture.

It’s something we receive.

So tomorrow morning, before you begin your day, why not pray three simple words?

God, I pray for joy.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18