Joy in the city
by Dr. Jordan Cox
Today my daily Bible reading was in Acts 8. Stephen received a stoning and Saul (not yet Paul) is ravaging the Church. Sounds kind of bleak, right? But yet, Philip is in Samaria proclaiming Christ. Healings and miracles were taking place and in verse 8 it says, “So there was much joy in that city.” When was the last time you felt like there was much joy in our city? I don’t know about you, but in this crazy time in which we are living, I am needing joy more than ever.
What I hope you notice is that there was joy in the city because the people were encountering Christ. They were watching God work through Philip and the Holy Spirit and people were coming to know Him and saw miracles take place right before their very eyes!
In the age of self-discovery in which we are currently living, people are seeking to be seen and known through social or political movements, enneagram numbers, and self-realization (which in themselves are not altogether bad things — I am a pretty happy 2 wing 3 after all), we will continue to lack real joy in our lives and in our city until we do as the Samaritans and find our identity in Christ, submit to His plan, and revel in the miracles He is performing all around us each and every day.
In times of lament and struggle I often turn to the Psalms and in 34:8–9 David says, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!” The Samaritans tasted and saw the work of the Lord and they experienced joy! In verse 12, David goes on to say, “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” The world is pulling the joy out of our lives. You have an adversary who is stirring up dissension and throwing darts at you, but in verse 18 it says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” And then closes the psalm by saying, “The Lord redeems the life of his servants, none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” And do you know what I feel when I read those words? Joy.
The Lord sees you. He hears you. He has a plan for you. And if you seek refuge in Him, you will not be condemned. As we look toward the start of a new semester, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, experience Him, and seek refuge in Him so that together as a campus we can collectively say, “…there was much joy in that city.”
