Serving God with Joy?

Last week our Holiday was shattered with the news of the Hamas' horrific attack on Israel. What was supposed to be a day of rejoicing was transformed to one of mourning as we learned more details of the death and destruction caused by the enemies (שם רשעים ירקב) of God. With the situation still tense, and the numerous hostages still being held, the dread and mourning continue. Yet we are asked by God to rejoice in His service. How can we do so in such circumstances?

I was asked this question by a friend a few days ago and I wish I had a good answer. 

Still, it got me thinking along the following lines. 

Why do we have to rejoice in God's service in the first place? Is it not enough to just do what He says? Is it really necessary to enjoy, for example, fasting on Yom Kippur, keeping kosher, and adhering to the laws of family purity? They do not seem to be innately joyous. 

From perspective of a prooftext the necessity to serve God happily emerges from a verse in the middle of the curses that will befall Israel should they not follow God's word, "Because you would not serve your God in joy and gladness over the abundance of everything, (Deuteronomy 28:47)." But, if anything, that reduces our understanding! We do not even have a positive command to serve God with joy (though we do have a command to rejoice on the holidays)! It is almost as if it was so obvious that it does not need to be stated. 

In "Reflections on the Psalms" Lewis relates that for a long time he could not understand why God demanded from humanity so much praise and prayer. Really, is an infinite being so self-centered and greedy that He needs humans to acknowledge His awesomeness? The answer though is obvious, it is not He who needs our praises, but ourselves. Any individual who recognizes the One God, surely must praise Him. To not do so, to not recognize His omniscience and omnipotence, would be boorish and philistine. It would demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of God and our place vis-a-vis Him, or (perhaps even worse) utter disdain and ungratefulness to the One who provided us with absolutely everything.

Similarly, when it comes to the service of God. What is our purpose in life if not to serve Him? To recognize that we are always standing before Him and at His command? If we do have the opportunity to serve Him, if He does allow us a glimpse of His "desires," how can we not rejoice? If we believe we are adhering to His word, how can we not be joyous that we are serving Him and fulfilling our role and destiny as spiritual beings?  

Does that mean we always have to be happy? 

I don't think so. I think it means we have to be satisfied with our lot in life as a servant of God. It means we have to be confident in our trust that He orchestrates a plan that is beyond our ken, and it means we realize that our ultimate goal is to fulfill His word and that this will enable us to be close to Him. Understanding our place in the world, confidence that history is guided by Him, and recognizing the reasons for our existence, provides peace of mind and thus happiness. And this is true even if we do not find happiness in fulfilling that next mitzvah (command) or the next upcoming prayers at the synagogue. The envelope representing man's service of God is of happiness, despite the fact that the letter inside does not bear only good news. 

I think Lewis himself had a definition of joy along these lines. In his spiritual biography called "Surprised by Joy" he identifies joy with sehnsucht, an intense yearning or desire for (as defined by Lewis) something purely good and transcendent. As Lewis writes, "Joy is distinct not only from pleasure in general but even from aesthetic pleasure. It must have the stab, the pang, the inconsolable longing." Lewis comes to realize that this longing is a sign from God, pointing to Him and showing Lewis the way towards Him. 

Perhaps that definition of joy is appropriate here as well. Physical or aesthetic happiness is not the goal and not the command, but a longing for God, to understand His ways to feel His presence, to know that living by His word is the ultimate aim of every human, very much is. 

In this way, I might humbly suggest that perhaps now is the time for more joy in this way. When we stare into the abyss, when we see evil in its true form how much more do we desire, yearn, and long for God's comfort.