Listen to this article
A perspective from the leader of The Salvation Army USA Western Territory.
This story is part of Caring’s 2026 print edition, “Joy That Moves,” featuring lives changed through the joy of giving. Read the issue here.
When we moved to Southern California, one of the quieter adjustments we had to make was learning to live with the reality of earthquakes. We haven’t experienced one yet—but we’ve been prepared for them. A pamphlet left behind in our new home outlined what to do when they come. Friends and neighbors offered their advice almost casually. “Don’t panic.” “Find cover.” “It’s usually over quickly.”
What lingered with me wasn’t just the information, but the posture behind it. For those who have grown up here, earthquakes are not unexpected events. They are anticipated realities. There is an unspoken confidence that even if the ground shakes, what truly matters will hold.
That confidence comes to mind when I read Paul’s words to the church in Thessalonica: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:16-18). These are among the shortest commands in Scripture—and among the most challenging. They were not written for ideal conditions, but for an unsettled world where faith was costly and the future uncertain.
“Joy, then, is more than an emotion. It is a theological statement. It says something true about God before it settles into how we feel. Joy does not ignore the shaking. It trusts what will hold.”
James Betts, Commissioner
Paul does not pretend that circumstances are easy. Instead, he points to a way of living that is tethered to something deeper than chaos or comfort. Rejoicing “always” is not a denial of hardship. It is a confession about where our lives are anchored.
Paul makes that anchoring explicit in Philippians 4. Writing from prison, he urges believers to rejoice and then explains why: The Lord is near (Phil. 4:5). Joy is not grounded in emotional control or spiritual toughness. It is grounded in his presence. God is not distant or disengaged. He is near—near enough that anxiety loses its grip, prayer becomes possible and gratitude can emerge even when circumstances remain unresolved.
This nearness does not remove struggle, but it does change how we live within it. When Paul calls believers to pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances, he is not offering techniques for positive thinking. He is describing a life lived in awareness of God’s presence—a life that knows where to turn when the ground begins to move.
From that nearness comes peace. Not the absence of conflict or struggle, but a peace that “transcends understanding.” A peace that guards the heart. And when the heart is guarded, joy becomes possible.
Joy, then, is more than an emotion. It is a theological statement. It says something true about God before it settles into how we feel. Joy does not ignore the shaking. It trusts what will hold.
The world continues to feel unsettled. Circumstances remain unpredictable. But Scripture reminds us that movement does not automatically mean collapse. Because the Lord is near, joy does not rest on what shifts beneath us. It rests on what is sure.
His presence is the bedrock of our joy.
Do Good:
- The Salvation Army exists to meet human need wherever, whenever and however we can. See more here.
