by R.C. Sproul
2012 / 51 pages

The answer to the title question is an emphatic yes. R.C. Sproul explains that while a degree of happiness can be had from a good glass of port, real, lasting joy can be had only from the Lord.

And, curiously, it can still be had, even in the midst of mourning. And if that seems confusing, it might be all the more so to hear that joy is a biblical command. We must be joyful? “Rejoice in the Lord always,” the Good Book tells us, so yes indeed. Paul wrote this while in prison, facing the prospect of martyrdom, so he wasn’t just putting on a smiley face – Paul says there is joy that Christians can find no matter their circumstances. How do we do it? In the Lord.

Sproul offers practical, biblical ap- proaches on both what it looks like to find joy in the Lord, and how to do it. This might be the tiniest of books, but there’s so much packed into it from one line to the next that it is definitely worth a reread, or maybe, better still, a very slow read with highlighter in hand. No matter what calamities we face, so long as we have the Lord, we have every- thing. And God assures us that He is putting even those calamities to use for our good. When we trust Him that it is so, we can rejoice indeed.

It’s short and sweet, and free as an e-book at Ligonier.org.