When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion,

We were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter

And our tongue with joyful shouting;

Then they said among the nations,

“The LORD has done great things for them.”

-Psalm 126:1-2

Joy is infectious. Laughter invites participation in the fun. So I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the God who desires all to have an intimate, loving relationship with Him loves His children in a way that can lead to laughter and joyful shouting.

I think having joy in the Lord is one of our most potent evangelical tools. Even if we’re not actively sharing the Gospel at that moment, our joy can draw people closer to Christ as they try to figure out where our joy comes from.

Joy Is More Than a Reaction

Given the importance of joy, not only for our own mental health, but also for those who don’t know Jesus, I’ve got a bone to pick with the church about our joy. It seems to me that we too often make joy circumstantial.

Here’s what I mean. Joy is a natural emotional reaction. A thing happens, and if it’s good enough, we experience joy because of it. Nothing wrong with that. But I do think there’s a problem if the only time we experience joy is when something good happens to us. At that point, we’ve downgraded joy to a slightly more intense version of happiness.

The solution? Based on this psalm, I don’t think we need to let joy be only a reaction. We need to make it a practice.

The Christmas Connection

Even though it may seem like this psalm is geared more toward Thanksgiving, given its title, we can see Christmas from the very beginning. From verse one, the psalmist makes it clear that this psalm is about God setting captives free.

Stanza one reflects on when God had set the people free in the past, and stanza two is a prayer asking God to continue to set them free and restore them. What could be more like Christmas?

When Jesus came two thousand years ago, He was coming on a rescue mission to begin the process of setting free a world held captive by sin and rebellion against God. That’s definitely worth rejoicing over!

And that’s the next step in our process of shaping our response to Christmas this year. We began by meditating on who God is, which led us to adore Him and rest in Him. Today our meditation shifts to what God has done and will do for us in the future. And as we meditate on all the ways God has demonstrated His love for us, this can lead us to rejoice.

What Psalm 126 Teaches About Choosing Joy

That’s exactly what happens in this psalm. The first two verses reflect on God’s past deliverance, their past reaction to that deliverance, and the reaction of the nations around them. The result? The psalmist declares, “The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad” (verse 3).

“Glad” in English doesn’t carry that much weight. It’s hard to take an emotion seriously when it’s the name of a trash bag company. But in the original language, it meant to be joyful or rejoice. The people remembered what God had done for them, and they rejoiced.

We see a similar pattern in the second half of the psalm. This time, though, the psalmist isn’t reflecting on what God has already done, but is asking for future blessing and reflecting on God’s faithfulness to give good gifts to those He loves.

Every time the psalmist reflects on the burdens of the captive, he also acknowledges how God turns the sadness into joy. The brokenhearted shout with joy, and those who were in need rejoice because God provides.

What we’re seeing modeled in this psalm is the practice of cultivating and choosing joy in daily life. It’s as simple as remembering and responding to all the things God has done for us. It’s an intentional choice to celebrate what God has done on a regular basis, and this celebration leads to joy becoming a habit.

Your Challenge This Christmas Season

This time of year comes with its pros and cons. It’s magical, but it’s busy. Many of us get time off from work, and then we fill it with events. It’s celebrating the best gift ever given, but our culture has made it more about material gifts than the real reason for the season.

So here’s my challenge for us this holiday season. Let’s not just sing the songs about rejoicing because of what God did two thousand years ago, only to walk out the doors and forget in the midst of our busyness. Instead, let’s make it a practice to remember what God has done and rejoice.