Prophetic Joy by guest- Kathy Essig

Prophetic Joy

Prophetic Joy is a feeling of celebrating God's presence, even when there is longing. It's a type of joy that can be experienced during Advent, and it's based on the idea that God's kingdom is woven together through invisible threads, even in times of longing. In the Bible, joy is described as a feeling of happiness and good pleasure that comes from the Holy Spirit, and is dependent on who Jesus is, rather than on circumstances or who we are. The Bible mentions two types of joy: joy in spite of circumstances, and joy because of circumstances. Some Bible verses that mention joy include: John 15:11: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" Proverbs 17:22: "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones" Here are some ways that prophetic joy is expressed in Christianity and Judaism:, Christianity In Christianity, prophetic joy is a profound experience of God's presence that transforms the understanding of earth and heaven. Joy in God is the basis for joy in ministry. Judaism In Judaism, joy is often connected with God and is known as simcha b'shamayim, or joy of heaven. Joy can be found in everyday moments and shared through kindness or laughter. What is the most joyful thing you’ve ever experienced? For Elizabeth, it was the experience of finally being pregnant after a lifetime of barrenness. Sure, pregnancy is a common enough occurrence, but not for everyone. She was well past childbearing years, and yet God chose Elizabeth to be the recipient of one of the birthing miracles we read about in scripture. (Luke chapter 1 and 2). However, because her story is so intertwined with the one about Mary, the details of Elizabeth’s encounters with the divine are often overshadowed. It is my passion and my calling to shine a light on the stories of biblical women who have so much to teach the whole church. Another woman from the Old Testament, Hannah experienced in her barrenness and how her birthing of Samuel set in motion a multi-generational line of faithfulness that was part of God’s plan to pave the way for the Messiah’s birth 1,000 years later. Elizabeth’s experience is more a culmination of a long life of righteous living before God. (I Samuel Chapter 1). Luke 1 is the only place in scripture where we read about Elizabeth, yet her influence is evident in the life of her son, John the Baptist, and in Mary of Nazareth. I encourage you to read Luke 1 for yourself to get the full story, and so you can put into context the details I want to emphasize here. Hasty travel brings prophetic joy As soon as Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that she was going to have baby Jesus and that her older relative Elizabeth was also miraculously pregnant, Mary “went with haste” to Elizabeth’s house (see Luke 1:39). In my mind, this shows that Mary chose Elizabeth to be the first person with whom she would share her news. I also believe it implies that Elizabeth and Mary had a strong, loving bond, that Mary knew Elizabeth would receive her with open arms. Then the scripture provides the familiar detail about Elizabeth’s reaction to Mary’s arrival, yet have we truly grasped the full meaning of it? Here are some of the things God chose a woman–specifically Elizabeth–to be the FIRST to experience: Mary’s greeting when she arrived at Elizabeth’s caused the baby in Elizabeth to leap, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth is the first person in the New Testament to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In addition to the miraculous pregnancies both these women are experiencing, Elizabeth is also given prophetic knowledge about Mary’s pregnancy–the first person in scripture to know about it (other than Mary herself), to confirm it verbally to Mary, and to rejoice with Mary about it. Can you even imagine the utter joy in that moment? I can just hear the squeals of glee, can’t you? This makes Elizabeth the first person to speak a prophetic word in the New Testament–and it was the joyful news about something only women can do: give birth! (Note: it wasn’t Elizabeth’s priest husband, Zechariah, and it wasn’t Mary’s fiancé, Joseph, who were the ones to confirm Mary’s pregnancy!) I encourage you to consider what these “firsts” say about what God can choose women to do. Mentoring Lessons A number of mentoring lessons are revealed in Elizabeth’s “loud” statement as well: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” The older Elizabeth verbally acknowledges God’s work in the younger Mary’s life. The older Elizabeth humbly receives the presence of the divine brought to them by the younger Mary. The older Elizabeth listened to the younger Mary and experienced a unique inner joy. The older Elizabeth confirmed the younger Mary’s experience of hearing a specific message from God, affirmed Mary’s belief in God’s plan, and reaffirmed her own relationship to God. When God wants to communicate a first-time, joy-filled message (even prophetic), sometimes the best choice is a woman’s voice! “What’s the most joyful thing you’ve ever experienced?” An Accidental Classic Did you know that “Joy to the World” was not written as a Christmas carol? In its original form, it had nothing to do with Christmas. It wasn’t even written to be a song. Isaac Watts was one of the great hymn writers in church history, and I guess nothing shows that better than the fact that he wrote one of his most famous hymns by accident. In 1719, Watts published a book of poems in which each poem was based on a psalm. But rather than just translate the original Old Testament texts, he adjusted them to refer more explicitly to the work of Jesus as it had been revealed in the New Testament. One of those poems was an adaptation of Psalm 98. Watts interpreted this psalm as a celebration of Jesus’s role as King of both his church and the whole world. More than a century later, the second half of this poem was slightly adapted and set to music to give us what has become one of the most famous of all Christmas carols: Joy to the World Joy to the world! The Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing And heaven and nature sing And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing Joy to the Earth! The Saviour reigns Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy Repeat the sounding joy Repeat, repeat the sounding joy No more let sins and sorrow grow Nor thorns infest the ground He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found Far as the curse is found Far as, far as, the curse is found He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love And wonders of His love And wonders, wonders, of His love! Isaac Watts How Joy Flows Borrowing a few lyrics from this wonderful hymn, here’s how I think the joy of God flows out from our hearts into civilization: Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room The Holy Spirit miraculously transforms us through our relationship with Jesus, giving us the joy of God in mind, heart, and life. Let Men Their Songs Employ Because God made human beings as social creatures, this joy of God is not locked up in an isolated heart; it flows among us and transforms how we relate to one another. Let Earth Receive Her King The church is the special community of people who are undergoing this transformative work, and the Spirit uses the distinct life of the church to further that work by means of doctrine, devotion, and stewardship. He Comes to Make His Blessings Flow We live most of our lives out in the world, among people who are not (yet) being transformed in this special way. How we live in the world should manifest the change the Spirit is working in us, carrying the impact of the joy of God “far as the curse is found.” He Rules the World with Truth and Grace As we learn to manifest the Spirit’s work in our hearts through the ways we live in the world, the portions of the world that are under our stewardship start to flourish more fully—not in a way that directly redeems people, because only personal regeneration can save a human being, but in a way that makes the world more like it should be and delivers intense experiences of God’s joy to our neighbors. Father, I pray for each one reading these words. May we learn from the lesson of prophetic joy. One word can change a life forever. We choose joy and to celebrate ! In the name of Yeshua. Amen