How to Have the Joy We See in the Bible
“And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (1 John 1:4 ESV).
Did you know that the Namib desert in Namibia only receives an average rainfall of five millimeters annually? It is one of the oldest and driest deserts in the world. And yet, there are still patches of life throughout it.
The secret of the trees that grow there is that they dig deep roots—sometimes dozens of feet—to reach moisture hidden under the sand. Underground water flows from ancient riverbeds or aquifers, and finding this water allows the trees to continue standing tall and leafy, even while the dunes around them bake.
The subterranean rivers and water sources aren’t just poetic. They’re real, quietly pumping life into places that should be dead.
Have you ever experienced anything like those spiritual rivers of water yourself, where peace and hope hang on against the odds? When the land seems baked and desolate, but joy still lives?
Joy in the Bible
In the New Testament, the word for “joy” is chara, which translates to “joy,” “gladness,” and “delight.” It’s used to describe a profound and enduring sense of happiness, not just fleeting feelings.
John’s “complete” joy—teleioō in Greek—in 1 John 1:4 is this sense of fullness, a joy brought to its intended end and perfected. Peter, in one of his letters, speaks of joy as well . . . we can “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8 ESV).
Is Biblical Joy Actually Possible?
This is wild. Is this kind of complete joy possible on earth? Well, let’s be honest—life’s not exactly a picnic in the park. You’ve got bills, health issues, and big life-and-death situations, too. It’s like the desert—sometimes, hope seems like a distant memory, a single drop of water in a long drought.
But I’ve glimpsed this kind of joy, this subterranean joy. Not every day, mind you—I’m not floating around on a cloud with a harp. But when I dig my roots down, I find it: that sustaining joy, that complete joy. The underground river of faith and hope.
This joy that lives beyond all of our circumstances is something that can only come from the Lord. Our own supply of joy—based on what we can do and rooted in the themes of “self-actualization” or “self-love”—will eventually run dry. But the joy of the Lord is the underground river that will never stop flowing.
God invited us not just to believe in a set of truths but to experience them, to experience Him, and to have Him change our lives. When we root ourselves to Him—through His Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers—we find the true source of joy.
Joy is not reserved just for Heaven, because it’s tied to God—and He’s here, with us, now. John’s fellowship, Peter’s unspeakable joy, the trees’ steady fruit and growth—they all point to a joy that’s “full of glory” because it’s laced with God’s presence, not our circumstances. It’s real, though it may not always be obvious. It’s underground, flowing, waiting for us to tap in. Are you ready to dig deep?
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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.
