Restoring Joy Daily
Today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Psalms. It’s a series that can help give us melodies of encouragement for everyday life, and the specific Psalm we’re studying today talks about rejoicing. It talks a lot about rejoicing, and it also gives us several reasons for rejoicing. But the problem is we often lose our joy, which prevents us from rejoicing. So we need to talk about restoring our joy daily, so we can rejoice daily. We need to talk about restoring our joy daily, since we often lose our joy daily.
Now one of the reasons we often lose our joy, is because we often put our joy in unstable things. We often put our joy in things like marriage, parenting, or having a peaceful perfect family. But that isn’t stable, because every relationship and every family has its issues...We often put our joy in things like money, success, or buying new things. But that isn’t stable, because the economy changes, and every new thing you buy eventually becomes an old thing with time...The reason we often lose our joy, is because we often put our joy in unstable things. The reality is your joy is only as stable as the things you’re putting your joy in...Your joy is only as stable as the things you’re putting your joy in...Today’s Psalm will teach us to put our joy in the only thing that’s always stable, which is God. So let’s turn to Psalm 33 and get into it. You can find the book of Psalms in the middle of the bible, and we’ll be in Psalm 33:1-22. The title of today’s message is Restoring Joy Daily, and the big idea of the message is your joy will be restored daily, when God is your primary source of joy...Your joy will be restored daily, when God is your primary source of joy...
Here’s your context. The book of Psalms is an Old Testament biblical hymnbook, and it contains various songs and prayers that can help give us daily encouragement. They’re written by Old Testament historical leaders who are expressing their real, raw, honest emotions we can all relate with. Psalm 33 is considered a joyful psalm, because it’s filled with rejoicing. As we study this psalm we’ll learn why the psalmist is rejoicing, and how to restore our joy. Let’s check it out.
Psalm 33:1-22 states, “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. 2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to him with a ten-stringed harp. 3 Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.” Notice this Psalm starts with rejoicing not requesting...It starts with praising not praying...It starts with rejoicing and praising the Lord, not requesting and praying to get something from the Lord...The psalmist is doing this even though he’s faced hardships in life, which he mentions in vs. 19. He mentions being rescued from death and surviving a famine! So he isn’t praising the Lord for having favorable circumstances; he’s praising the Lord regardless of his circumstances! He’s praising the Lord because his primary source of joy is the Lord not his circumstances! Just like God is the primary source of joy for him, God needs to be the primary source of joy for us. If we make God the primary source of our joy, we’ll have joy in the Lord despite our circumstances. But if we make something else our joy, that thing will be unstable, and we’ll eventually lose our joy when our circumstances aren’t favorable.
So God has to be the primary source of our joy, and that doesn’t mean we can’t find joy in other things. I mean God created us to find joy in all kinds of things! He created us to find joy in things like going to the beach, going to the mountains, playing games, grilling and chilling with our friends and family. He even created our human anatomy to experience joyful pleasure by giving us things like taste buds to enjoy food, and sexual organs to enjoy sexual intimacy. When God created Adam and Eve he wasn’t shocked when the two of them became one flesh. He wasn’t like, “I didn’t see that coming!...I didn’t think they’d use that for that!...” He knew exactly what they’d do! He created them and created us with taste buds, with sexual organs, with all kinds of created things to enjoy. He’s a God who created joy and wants to give us joy. But he wants us to enjoy everything according to his design, and to not ever let anything replace him as our primary source of joy. We will always lose joy when we let something else replace him as our primary source of joy. Whatever that thing is will become an unstable joy, because it wasn’t designed to replace God as your primary source of joy. It was designed to give you joy and point you to the Joy Giver. It was designed to point you to praise God as your primary source of joy. The fastest way to restore your joy, is to stop replacing God and start praising God like the psalmist.
Again vs. 1, “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. 2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to him with a ten-stringed harp. 3 Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout. 4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy.” The psalmist is teaching us two primary reasons to rejoice. He’s teaching us to rejoice because of God’s word and God’s work. I know sometimes you have days when it’s hard to find reasons to rejoice. Sometimes you have days when it’s hard to see your blessings. Sometimes you have days when your cup feels more empty than full. But the psalmist is teaching us we always have reasons to rejoice, when God is our primary source of joy. He’s teaching us we can always rejoice because of God’s word and God’s work, which he explains in greater detail next.
Again vs. 4 states, “For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love. 6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap; he puts the depths into storehouses. 8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it came into existence.” Notice the psalmist is again focusing on God’s word, and he’s giving us several reasons for rejoicing over God’s word. In vs. 4-5 he says we can rejoice over God’s word being right, meaning it's always true and can always be trusted. In vs. 6-9 he says we can rejoice over God’s word being powerful and 100% certain, because God simply speaks and commands things into existence. This goes back to Genesis 1 where God simply speaks, and creation is set in motion. His point is there’s nothing in the world as true, powerful, and 100% certain as God’s word. This is so critical to restoring our joy! It’s critical because most people are turning to books, podcasts, and people for advice on how to live a joyful life. Some of it’s good advice, some of it’s bad advice, but none of it’s as true, powerful, and 100% certain as God’s word...Many people are also turning to AI tools for advice. They’re turning to things like ChatGPT and Grok, sometimes treating them as if they’re as true, powerful, and 100% certain as God’s word when they aren’t. In fact ChatGPT and Grok even admit they sometimes make mistakes. At the very bottom of ChatGPT’s page it says, “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.”
Your peers, parents, pastors, professors, and AI aren’t as true, powerful, and 100% certain as God’s word. God is the only one whose word is always true, powerful, and 100% certain. Sometimes people will lie to you, but you can always read God’s word knowing he won’t ever lie to you... Sometimes your life feesl like it’s spiraling out of control, but you can always read God’s word knowing his promises are 100% certain and still powerfully in control...In the words of John Piper, “The Word of God is the only sure foundation for joy, because it reveals a God who never changes, never fails, never lies.” So to restore your joy daily, you need to immerse yourself in God’s word daily. It’s the only sure foundation that’s always true, powerful, and 100% certain.
Vs. 10, “The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation. 12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—the people he’s chosen to be his own possession!” The focus here is on how God’s word, secures God’s work. God’scounsel, secures God’s plans. The psalmist says the counsel of the Lord stands forever, which means the plans of his heartwill stand forever too. So the only plans that are secure in our lives and world, are the plans that are aligned with God’s heart. If you’re a skeptic, you can make all the plans you want in life, but none of those plans are secure. Your plans and future aren’t secure. But if you put your faith in the Lord, he’ll give you plans and a future that’s secured by the promises of his word. Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “It’s plans to prosper you, not to harm you. It’s plans to give you hope and a future.” The only plans and future that’s secure, are the ones aligned with God’s heart. If you’re a believer, you need to keep trusting in God’s plans, even when things aren’t going as you planned. Part of your growth as a Christian is learning to trust in God’s plans, even when things aren’t going as you planned. If you trust God’s counsel, then you should also trust God’s plans. If you trust God’s word, then you should also trust God’s heart. You should trust the good and loving plans of his heart, even on the days you can’t see it. You should trust the good and loving plans of his heart, even on the days when your cup feels more empty than full. Let God’s word counsel you, but also trust the good and loving plans of his heart for you.
Vs. 13, “The Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone. 14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from his dwelling place. 15 He forms the hearts of them all; he considers all their works. 16 A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be rescued by great strength. 17 The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power. 18 But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him—those who depend on his faithful love 19 to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine.” We just talked about the plans of God’s heart, but this is talking about how God’s loving heart watches over us as he accomplishes his plans. Vs. 14 says he gazes on all the inhabitants in the world, and vs. 18 says he keeps his eye on those who depend on his faithful love. The reason he keeps his eye on us, is because he loves us. His watchful eye, is a reflection of his loving heart. But the greatest reflection we have of God’s loving heart is found in Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.” Romans 5:8 says, “God proves his love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” The greatest reflection we have of God’s loving heart is found in Jesus and what he did on the cross. Jesus is our incarnate God who didn’t just look down from heaven, he came down from heaven. He didn’t just look down at us in love, he came down to die for us because of his love. He lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and rose again victoriously to give us a restored joyful relationship with him. At some point we all replaced him as our greatest joy, but he died for us on the cross to give us a restored joyful relationship with him. You will always lose joy when you replace him, but increase in joy when you make him your primary source of joy.
Vs. 20, “We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield. 21 For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name. 22 May your faithful love rest on us Lord, for we put our hope in you.” The psalmist begins and ends with rejoicing in him. He begins and ends with rejoicing in God, because God is his primary source of joy. But what about you?...What’s your primary source of joy?...Have you been rejoicing in Jesus, or replacing Jesus as your primary source of joy?...Is there anything in your life that you’ve been recently replacing Jesus with?...If there is something, you need to stop replacing and start rejoicing in Jesus. You need to remember your joy is only as stable as the things you’re putting your joy in, and nothing in this world is more stable than Jesus. We need to make Jesus our primary source of joy, and one of the ways we can do that is by following the pattern of Psalm 33, which is to begin and end each day with rejoicing. But we can also keep going back to Jesus throughout the day when life gets draining. On the days when you’re struggling to rejoice, keep throwing your hands up to praise the Lord, as you keep telling your soul to wake up and rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 57 says, “Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. 9 I will praise you Lord, among the peoples!” In the words of Eugene Peterson, “You may not be able to command your heart, but you can command your arms. So lift up your arms in blessing; and maybe your heart will get the message to be lifted up in praise.”
If you start doing what the psalmist did in Psalm 33...If you start waking up in the morning rejoicing in the Lord, instead of jumping right into requesting something from the Lord, it will help to restore your joy. It’s something so simple that you can do daily, to help restore your joy daily. You can wake up each morning and spend 5 minutes rejoicing in the Lord, to help reset your heart on him being your primary source of joy. You can spend 5 minutes giving God thanks for who he is, what he’s done, and everything he’s given you in life. Instead of complaining about what you don’t have, you can give God thanks for what you do have. In fact if you do this 5 minutes a day, twice a day, for the next 30 days, it can literally change the chemistry in your brain, turning you into a more joyful person. In a book we just read as a staff called The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled People, it states, “Appreciation redirects your attention to savor the good stuff, instead of ruminating on the bad. According to Dr. James Wilder, being able to enter a state of appreciation for five consecutive minutes, two to three times a day, for thirty days, can change the chemistry in your brain so that joy becomes your new normal.” So one of the primary habits for helping us turn into a more joyful person, is the habit of thankfulness. What we’re learning in Psalm 33 is we need to get into the habit of rejoicing, praising, giving thanks to God, and you can start that this week. You can spend 5 minutes at the beginning and end of your day rejoicing, praising, giving thanks to God. You can restore your joy daily, by resetting your heart on Jesus as your primary source of joy.
The big idea of the message is your joy will be restored daily, when God is your primary source of joy...Your joy will be restored daily, when Jesus is your primary source of joy...We often lose our joy because we often put our joy in unstable things. Your joy is only as stable as the things you’re putting your joy in. Jesus is the only one who lived, died, and rose again proving his joy is the only joy that’s eternal and stable. When you put your joy in him, your joy will be restored by him.
Communion
Communion is a reminder of this. It’s a reminder that Jesus is our incarnate God who came to die for our sins on the cross, so we can have an eternal, stable, joyful relationship with him. If you don’t believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins, then please refrain from taking communion so you don’t go through the motions of this. Instead use this time to reflect on the message and consider putting your faith in Jesus so you can have an eternal, stable, joyful relationship with him too...For those of you who already put your faith in Jesus we have three stations set up, and in a few minutes I’ll invite you to come forward to the station closest to you. If you have a gluten allergy the table in the back has gluten free bread. When you come forward we’ll give you a piece of bread as a symbol of the body of Christ broken for your sins, and you’ll dip it in the cup of juice as a symbol of the blood of Christ shed for your sins. After that you can eat, drink, and head back to your seat to pray before we close in worship. If you’re helping with Communion you can start heading to your stations, as we prepare to remember and receive the good news of Jesus again.
On the night Jesus was betrayed he took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper ended he took the cup, blessed it, and gave thanks for it saying “This is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done.” Respond to this good news by remembering and receiving. Remember what he’s done for you on the cross, and receive his restorative grace and joy for your life again. Come as you feel led.