ReJOYce: God ReJOYces Over You!

ReJOYce: God ReJOYces Over You! | Jax Armstrong | 23 November 2025

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More Than a Feeling: The Joy That Holds Us

Happiness is wonderful - but it’s fleeting.

Two bites of chocolate… gone.

A handful of jelly babies… gone.

That perfect first sip of coffee… gone by the last.

Happiness is tied to moments and circumstances. It comes from the outside in, and no matter how tightly we try to hold it, it slips through our fingers. The goalposts move: the car, the house, the new golf clubs, the yellow dress - and somehow, it’s still not enough. We’re left asking, “Is this all?”

As humans, we keep chasing happiness. As Jesus-followers, we’re invited into something far deeper, steadier, and stronger. We get true JOY - the kind that moves from the inside out. A joy that is indescribable, uncontainable, unwavering. A joy we can choose, that overflows, and that stands firm even in trials.

When Joy Doesn’t Feel Like Joy

I’ve always thought of myself as a naturally joyful person. But even the most “yellow” hearts face moments where joy feels far away.

A few months ago, standing in worship with our Youth, singing “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength”, I suddenly realised I didn’t feel strong at all. The weight of my thoughts, past hurts, and the heaviness of stories in the room became overwhelming.

How could I sing “The joy of the Lord is my strength” when I didn’t feel joy… or strength?

In that moment, surrounded by people carrying their own stories - loss, pain, shame, regret, fear - I found myself desperate to understand what God meant when He said: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

A Story of Restoration

To understand this phrase, we turn to Nehemiah 8.

Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, had one of the most trusted - and dangerous- jobs imaginable. Yet his heart wasn’t captured by the palace, but by the brokenness of Jerusalem, 1,280 km away. God stirred Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of the city, and in only 52 days, the impossible became reality. But rebuilding the wall wasn’t the end - God wanted to rebuild the people.

Ezra stood and read the Law of God from morning to midday, reminding the people of who God is and how they had wandered. Conviction gripped them, and they began to weep.

But then this moment:

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” - Nehemiah 8:10

Their tears were real. Their sin and separation from God were real. But God wasn’t interested in their despair - He was after their restoration.

The joy of the Lord isn’t a feeling we try to conjure up. It is God’s own joy over His people - and that joy becomes our strength.

A Father Who Delights in His Children

C.S. Lewis described joy as “an experience so deep you long to return to it again.”It’s like a child running into their father’s arms - and the father kneels down with sheer delight, arms wide open.

That is God’s posture toward us.

Even when I stood in worship that day feeling empty, the Father still leaned in with delight. His joy didn’t depend on my mood or circumstance. It flowed from who He is - not from how I felt.

Scripture shows us this over and over:

Isaiah 42:1 - God delights in His Son. Zephaniah 3:17 - God delights in us, rejoices over us, and even sings over us.

A God who sings over His people. A God whose joy is constant even when ours isn’t.A God who reaches down into the rubbish, ruin, and rubble we sit in… and restores us.

Living From Joy, Not For Joy

When we know God delights in us, everything changes.

We stop trying to achieve joy. We begin to live from joy.

We no longer stand empty-handed, hoping God will fill us. We stand on a foundation that is already overflowing - His strength, His joy, His delight.

Here are three practical ways to step into that joy:

1) Recognise the Joy – “A Letter to Your Yellow”

Call out the gold in others. Encourage. Speak life. Your joy in God becomes a reflection of His joy in them.

2) Reside in the Joy – Gratitude

Ground yourself in the present. Share one thing each day that brings joy. Lean into your faith journey - join a Life Group, take the next step, reach out for prayer. Joy grows where faith grows.

3) Extend the Joy – Especially This Christmas

Who can you bring joy to? A friend who needs a walk…A child who would love the Christmas lights…A family who needs an invitation…Small acts become holy moments.

Joy extended is joy multiplied.

A Joy That Changes a City

Imagine a community that lives from supernatural joy - not circumstantial happiness. A church pinned to something steady in a blurred and uncertain world.

A people whose joy becomes : A light on a hill.Hope in darkness. A living testimony of a God whose joy never runs dry.

It’s More Than a Feeling

As Motseki reminded us: “It’s more than a feeling!”

God’s joy is everlasting.Self-sustaining.Poured over us.Rooted in grace.

And because of that joy, we find strength.

A Final Invitation

Maybe today you feel like you are standing at the base of the wall - surrounded by rubble, weighed down by your story, feeling far from joy and even farther from God.

Hear this:

God is joyful over you.

He delights in you.

He sings over you.

And He strengthens you.

You need only say, “Here I am, Father.”

True joy - supernatural joy - is found in Him. And His joy is yours.

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Life Group Discussion Questions

1. When have I felt far from joy or strength?

2. How does it change my perspective to know that God delights in me?

3. What “rubbish” or “ruin” do I feel surrounded by?

4. What keeps me at the base of the wall?

   A spoken word years ago? A narrative I’ve believed? A fear or shame?

5. What simple step could I take this week to “extend joy” to someone?