Today’s Verse
“Though the fig tree does not bud… yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”
Habakkuk 3:17–18
The Discipline of Choosing Joy
Joy doesn’t usually show up on its own. Scripture doesn’t talk about joy as something that simply happens when life improves. It speaks of joy as something you step into on purpose. Paul doesn’t say feel joyful, he says, “Rejoice.” James doesn’t say wait until it feels joyful, he says, “Consider it joy.” Language like that assumes intention. A decision. A direction of the heart. A choice.
This matters because life rarely gives you ideal conditions. Disappointment lingers. Prayers go unanswered. Situations stay unresolved longer than you expected. If joy depends on circumstances, it will always be unstable. But biblical joy isn’t built on ease. It’s built on trust.
Habakkuk understood this. Nothing in his situation had improved. The fig tree hadn’t budded. The fields were empty. And yet he says, “I will rejoice in the Lord.” Not because things were okay, but because God was still God. Joy, in that moment, wasn’t an emotion. It was allegiance.
I covered some of these themes in the devotional on It is Well with My Soul a couple of weeks ago. Peace didn’t come because the storm passed. It came because trust went deeper than the storm. Joy works the same way. It isn’t the absence of pain; it’s the refusal to let pain be the loudest voice.
But let’s be real. Choosing joy doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. It doesn’t minimize grief or bypass disappointment. It means deciding where you will anchor yourself when life is hard. It’s the choice to focus on what remains true instead of what feels overwhelming.
If joy feels out of reach today, start where Scripture starts. Choose where your heart rests. Choose what you trust. Joy follows that choice, not always immediately, but faithfully.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, help me choose joy, not just wait to feel it but actively decide to pursue it, cultivate it, hold onto it even when circumstances don’t inspire happiness.
Joy feels impossible when life is hard, when I’m discouraged, when everything seems to be going wrong, but I’m learning joy is a choice, not just an emotion.
Teach me that choosing joy doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine or denying real pain, but deciding to find reasons for gratitude despite what’s difficult.
Joy isn’t the same as happiness that comes and goes with circumstances, but a deeper contentment rooted in You, in Your faithfulness, in what remains true regardless of what I’m facing.
Help me look for joy intentionally, to notice small blessings, to celebrate what’s going right, to focus on what’s good instead of fixating only on what’s wrong.
Remind me that the joy of the Lord is my strength, that choosing joy isn’t superficial positivity but spiritual discipline that changes my perspective and sustains me.
Give me the will to choose joy today even when I don’t feel it, trusting that the choosing itself can shift my heart, that obedience often comes before emotion.
Let me practice choosing joy, training my heart to look for reasons to be grateful, to celebrate, to hope, knowing that joy chosen becomes joy experienced.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Art Print
If you’re interested in purchasing a wall art print of this piece you can find out more on my online store here. It’s available as an 8×10″ print on Hahnemuhle German Etching Paper.