The other morning on the way to work, I heard a song on a Christian radio station that used the phrase, "sing for joy". That's a common phrase in modern Christian music as well as old hymns, but as I heard it that day, I thought of it differently.
Most of the time when we hear "sing for joy" we are thinking of someone singing because they are joyful. It's an expression in song of the happiness and contentment in that person's heart. We hear of people expressing delight by singing or jumping or dancing for joy. But what if that little word "for" could mean something else?
The word "for" has about eleven different functions in the English language and the three that most agree with the thought I'm about to share are the ones that use "for' as expressing something that is done for a purpose, something that is done to reach an intended goal or something that is offered as equivalent in exchange.
Instead of singing because we already have joy, could we possibly be singing to obtain joy? Think about it. We say that we are working for money, paying a certain amount for our car, striving for excellence, or planning for the future. In these cases, the first action is done to reach the second objective.
Could it be that the singing could be the key that leads us to joy? We could be singing in the pursuit of joy and our praises could be the currency that exchanges our sorrows for joy.
Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice". We are commanded to rejoice. Sometimes our emotions don't feel very joyful, but if we'll consider all that God has provided for us and began to sing praises to Him for who He is and what He has done, our emotions will line up in response to our obedience. We can find joy in His presence and in His Word. Joy can be restored through trusting and hoping in Him.
In our daily interactions with people, we usually wait until something has been done for us before we thank them. Things in the kingdom of God often work backward from how the world works. We thank Him first before we see all the things for which we hope, knowing He is working on our behalf and for our good when we cannot perceive it.
The next time you are feeling disheartened or worried, try singing or praising for joy - to obtain it, to set your heart right, and to position yourself to receive what God has for you. Rejoice in the Lord always!
