Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. (ESV)

and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy (NIV)

Peter doesn’t say you will get this joy someday.

He doesn’t say you can have it if you try hard enough.

He writes to believers who already possess it. Saying with confidence: This joy is already yours.

This isn’t just a future promise, but a present reality for every person who truly knows Christ.

Bottom line: inexpressible joy is the defining evidence of love and belief in Christ.

We believe in Him.

We love Him.

And we are filled with joy that cannot be taken away.

But, so many stop halfway. They believe in the man Jesus, but they don’t trust Him enough to love and surrender to Him as Savior. And without that love, they’ll never experience the joy that comes with it. They know about Him, but don’t abide in Him.

Jesus said it Himself:

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:10-11

You can’t find joy by chasing joy.
You find joy by loving Christ. Inexpressible joy filled with glory.

And when you do — even if everything else falls apart — your joy doesn’t. Because your joy no longer depends on what you can see around you. It’s rooted in the One who lives within you.

Our happiness does not come from what is happening now. It’s eternal.

Our hope is in what’s to come. That which we can’t yet see, but will one day see more clearly than the grass beneath our feet.

We walk by faith, not by sight — until the day when that faith becomes sight.

So how do we have joy in a world where everything looks like it’s falling apart?
We look to Jesus. Fixing our eyes on the joy set before us. (Hebrews 12:2)

Written by Blake Stanley