Fumbling With Former Joy

I once heard Dr. Phil say on The Oprah Show that everyone has five defining moments in their life that go on to shape the course they will take. He turned to the audience and asked for everyone to mentally make a list of five events they felt they were most marked by.

I sat watching my television screen and rattled off My Five barely having to think. Two of them were traumatic and unexpected deaths that tore through my family with a violent force I had never reckoned with before. Two more of my five events had to do with the devastating absence of relationships that had just fallen apart in my life. And the last event I felt ‘forever marked’ by was my high school battle with constant illness.

After tallying My Five, I realized my list was rather depressing. Looking for the theme laced in between My Five I noticed the trend: Loss. What course could possibly await my eager feet, if every ounce of My Five was dripping with the heaviness of loss?

Christ and I indirectly spoke about this over the next few months. I did not mention to Him My Five because I was rather embarrassed. Now, I realize hiding things from Christ is quite impossible, but I gave it a go. Christ was not having it. And so dealing with the loss became our ‘thing’. To be honest, it is still our ‘thing’.

These past few days as I have mulled over the new series ‘With Shouts of Joy’; I have been struggling with how to approach the topic. I’ve been fighting the series because “I am so full of joy,” is not something I hear many in my inner circle saying.

As a matter of fact I’ve been hearing:

“I cannot go on like this.”

“I don’t think I have anything left to give.”

“I feel like I am at my end.”

“I cried myself to sleep last night.”

“I’m seriously considering checking out.”

“I’ve got nothing…”



Reading the book of Ezra, chapter three the other morning, I really felt the Spirit prodding at my heart. And I’ve got news for you: Christ is over our former joy and lack of it in the here and now.

The Holy Spirit has seen not only fit to lace the lesson of joy throughout the Bible, but he has also seen fit to lace the lesson of FORMER joy into the pages of Scripture. Ezra 3:7-13 sets the stage and scene of the people of Israel rebuilding the Temple. After being carried away into exile, their homes and city foundations destroyed, Israel finds their new freedom once again allowing them to rebuild. Within Ezra 3 we read their story of rebuilding something that was once glorious:

“Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia. In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the LORD. Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel.

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD:


"He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever."


And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.”

Did you take notice to those last verses? “But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid...”

I must agree with the Family Heads, the former temple was something to behold. If you are interested check out this link for some scripture that gives a taste of how it was designed: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%207:13-51;&version=49;.

The former temple was one of majesty and beauty for the people of Israel. This new temple foundation was much more humble and simple. Compared to the old, it was lacking.

If Israel had a My Five, you can bet that their exile and destroyed temple would be within the list.

If Israel had a chance to watch Dr. Phil on Oprah, you can bet they would be questioning the theme of their five.

Do you also notice the text suggests that those who were shouting for joy had not been around the former temple? In other words, they were not struggling with the memory of former joy; joy came easily, because they were not looking at it in terms of what had been lost, but ahead into the promise of what was coming.

While researching this passage, I was very taken with bible scholar Matthew Henry’s commentary. Speaking of those who wept aloud he said, “Let not the remembrance of former afflictions drown the sense of present mercies.”

Where are we drowning the sense of present mercies? Where are we allowing former joys to hinder the restoration of new shouts of joy?

If we were standing in the crowd of biblical Israel today, what side would we be on? The side with shouts of joy? Or the side with sounds of weeping? Would we be able to distinguish ourselves?

I want to challenge us in the coming weeks to lay down our firm grip on the past and whatever former ‘temples’ we may still be holding out for. Wouldn’t it be heartbreaking to watch our lives unfold, with only memories of joy – when new joy awaits us?

Even if the joy awaiting seems smaller. More humble. Less outrageous in the moment.

Christ is in the ministry of restoration. Not replacement. If we are holding out for the replacement of what has been lost, we will wait forever.

If we are standing expectantly, welcoming restoration, we will not be disappointed.



“Weeping may last for the night but a shout of joy comes in the morning.”

Psalm 30:5

Welcome the morning. Speak aloud your frustration with the things of today. Get before our God and tell Him about your let-downs, disappointments, give Him you’re My Five list and watch Him lead you ever closer to new joy.

Not back to former things, but into the joy of present things.

I pray you will follow. And will soon be heard With Shouts of Joy.