Easter joy that lasts forever
“Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” (Isaiah 12:6)
Think of what gives you the greatest happiness here on earth. Is it your family? A special time or event? Achieving or accomplishing something in your job?
Whatever those earthly moments are that give you the greatest joy and satisfaction, they last for only a brief time. Earthly joys are temporary and fleeting. Our verse for this week reminds us the Easter joy we have and celebrate today is not fleeting or temporary. It lasts forever.
Earthly joys and pleasure are interrupted or broken by sin. Our Easter joy is full and lasting because we get to celebrate that Jesus defeated sin and the devil and overcame the grip of death.
This past Wednesday our family celebrated the life of my uncle who was blessed with nearly 85 years of life here on earth. I won’t deny there were indeed tears, but they were not tears of grief or loss. They were tears of joy as we celebrated the many blessings God gave him and many blessings God gave to so many other people through him.
Notice our verse this week does not praise a person for something they had done: We praise God for what he has done for us, “for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
Even if our Easter joy is not temporary or fading like earthly joy does not mean we will be laughing or smiling all the time. It doesn’t mean we won’t have moments of pain or sorrow. What it means is we can have the confidence that in each and every situation, God is in control, and we can know brighter days and better times are ahead.
Having that Easter confidence and joy does not come from being in church on Easter and then not making an appearance for another 6 months. Having and keeping that Easter confidence and joy comes from being continually connected to God and his Word. When we maintain that connection to our living Savior, we can truly and continually “Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”