Be of Good Cheer
Be of Good Cheer
Joel 1:12; 2:21–23
In the book of Joel, God paints a vivid picture of joy that has withered away. Israel faced devastation—fields wasted, vines dried up, fig trees languishing. Yet Scripture often uses trees to symbolize the spiritual condition of God’s people. Judges 9 tells us the vine brings cheerfulness, the fig tree brings sweetness, and the palm tree offers shade and strength. The apple tree bears fruit that is delightful and desirable, and the pomegranate tree is tied to beauty, brightness, and fruitfulness. Song of Solomon 4 describes its fruit as something that brings a glowing, cheerful countenance—a reminder that joy is meant to be seen, not hidden. Proverbs 15:13 reinforces this when it says, “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Joy affects the face, the body, and the spirit, just as sorrow leaves a visible mark on the life.
Yet in the midst of all that was lost in Joel’s day, God offered three powerful words of encouragement. In Joel 2:21, He speaks to the land, saying, “Fear not… for the Lord will do great things.” In verse 22, He reminds the beasts not to fear because He provides even for them. And in verse 23, He tells the children of Israel to rejoice in the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. If God could speak comfort to the land, the animals, and to Israel—how much more can He speak comfort to us today, His sons and daughters in Jesus Christ? The message is unmistakable: Be of good cheer. Lift up your heart. Do not let your joy wither away. God has given us abundant reasons to rejoice.
One of the great reasons Christians can be of good cheer is because of God’s propitiation. In Matthew 9, Jesus tells the man sick of the palsy, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” That is the foundation of all joy—the knowledge that the believer’s sin debt has been paid in full. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:25 that God set forth Christ “to be a propitiation through faith in His blood.” John echoes this in 1 John 2:2 and 4:10. Our sin, which separated us from God, has been atoned for by Christ Himself. As Andrew Fuller wrote, “The death of Christ is the life of our hopes. The blood He shed is the price of our peace.” Because of Jesus, your past is pardoned, your guilt is gone, and your record is forever cleared. No wonder Charles Spurgeon said, “There is no joy like the joy of being forgiven.” Cheerfulness begins at Calvary.
We can also be cheerful because of God’s promises. In Acts 23:11, God came to Paul in the night and assured him, “Be of good cheer… for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Paul’s ministry was not over. God still had plans for him. One of the great Baptist missionaries, Adoniram Judson, clung to the promises of God during his long imprisonment in Burma. In darkness and chains, he wrote, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” Near his death in 1850, he said, “I go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school. I feel so strong in Christ.” What an incredible picture of a man resting in God’s promises. Scripture reminds us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29). God still used Moses after failure, Aaron after sin, Jonah after rebellion, and Peter after denial. And God will still use you. As John Gill reminds us, “The promises of God cannot fail, for they rest upon His nature, which is truth itself.”
A third reason to be cheerful is because of God’s protection. Paul experienced a terrifying storm in Acts 27, yet God told him, “Be of good cheer.” The storm did not cease immediately, but the promise of God carried Paul through it. Romans 8:31 affirms, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Proverbs 21:31 says that while the horse may be prepared for battle, safety ultimately comes from the Lord. The storms of life do not mean God has abandoned us; rather, they show us how close He really is. Andrew Fuller offered a powerful illustration of God’s protective grip: “We are safe, not because we hold tightly to God, but because He holds tightly to us.” Like a father holding his son on black ice, our stability comes from God’s strength, not our own. Benjamin Keach was right when he wrote, “The storms of life are but servants that drive the believer closer to his God.”
We can also be cheerful because of God’s power. Jesus said in John 16:33, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” His victory was not achieved through human flesh but through divine power. That same power now lives in every believer through the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:16). The Word of God works powerfully in us (Hebrews 4:12), strengthening us to overcome sin, sufferings, and spiritual battles. A.J. Gordon described this beautifully: “Union with Christ brings the believer into contact with an exhaustless supply of divine power.” The Christian life is not lived in our strength but in His.
Finally, we can be cheerful because of God’s presence. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14, they were afraid, but He told them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” The presence of God is the antidote to fear. Psalm 139 tells us there is nowhere we can go where God is not already present, not in the heights, the depths, or even “in hell.” Hebrews 13:5 assures us that God will never leave nor forsake His people. He was with Jeremiah in prison, Joseph in the pit, Esther in the palace, Moses in the desert, Jonah in the whale, and Paul in the storm-tossed ship. And He is with you. As Francis Wayland wrote, “The Christian’s safety and serenity lies not in his circumstances, but in the presence of his God.” Moses understood this in Exodus 33 when he said he would not move unless God went with him. There is no cheer like the cheer that comes from God’s nearness.
In closing, Jesus desires that our joy be full. Cheerfulness is not shallow optimism—it is the deep-rooted confidence that God has cleansed our past, secured our future, guides our present, empowers our walk, and surrounds us with His presence. When discouragement tries to drain your joy, take time to remember, reflect, and rehearse all that God has done for you and in you. The Christian does not have to live in fear or despair. In every season, God gives abundant reasons to be of good cheer.
Joel 1:12; 2:21–23
In the book of Joel, God paints a vivid picture of joy that has withered away. Israel faced devastation—fields wasted, vines dried up, fig trees languishing. Yet Scripture often uses trees to symbolize the spiritual condition of God’s people. Judges 9 tells us the vine brings cheerfulness, the fig tree brings sweetness, and the palm tree offers shade and strength. The apple tree bears fruit that is delightful and desirable, and the pomegranate tree is tied to beauty, brightness, and fruitfulness. Song of Solomon 4 describes its fruit as something that brings a glowing, cheerful countenance—a reminder that joy is meant to be seen, not hidden. Proverbs 15:13 reinforces this when it says, “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Joy affects the face, the body, and the spirit, just as sorrow leaves a visible mark on the life.
Yet in the midst of all that was lost in Joel’s day, God offered three powerful words of encouragement. In Joel 2:21, He speaks to the land, saying, “Fear not… for the Lord will do great things.” In verse 22, He reminds the beasts not to fear because He provides even for them. And in verse 23, He tells the children of Israel to rejoice in the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. If God could speak comfort to the land, the animals, and to Israel—how much more can He speak comfort to us today, His sons and daughters in Jesus Christ? The message is unmistakable: Be of good cheer. Lift up your heart. Do not let your joy wither away. God has given us abundant reasons to rejoice.
One of the great reasons Christians can be of good cheer is because of God’s propitiation. In Matthew 9, Jesus tells the man sick of the palsy, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” That is the foundation of all joy—the knowledge that the believer’s sin debt has been paid in full. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:25 that God set forth Christ “to be a propitiation through faith in His blood.” John echoes this in 1 John 2:2 and 4:10. Our sin, which separated us from God, has been atoned for by Christ Himself. As Andrew Fuller wrote, “The death of Christ is the life of our hopes. The blood He shed is the price of our peace.” Because of Jesus, your past is pardoned, your guilt is gone, and your record is forever cleared. No wonder Charles Spurgeon said, “There is no joy like the joy of being forgiven.” Cheerfulness begins at Calvary.
We can also be cheerful because of God’s promises. In Acts 23:11, God came to Paul in the night and assured him, “Be of good cheer… for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Paul’s ministry was not over. God still had plans for him. One of the great Baptist missionaries, Adoniram Judson, clung to the promises of God during his long imprisonment in Burma. In darkness and chains, he wrote, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” Near his death in 1850, he said, “I go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school. I feel so strong in Christ.” What an incredible picture of a man resting in God’s promises. Scripture reminds us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29). God still used Moses after failure, Aaron after sin, Jonah after rebellion, and Peter after denial. And God will still use you. As John Gill reminds us, “The promises of God cannot fail, for they rest upon His nature, which is truth itself.”
A third reason to be cheerful is because of God’s protection. Paul experienced a terrifying storm in Acts 27, yet God told him, “Be of good cheer.” The storm did not cease immediately, but the promise of God carried Paul through it. Romans 8:31 affirms, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Proverbs 21:31 says that while the horse may be prepared for battle, safety ultimately comes from the Lord. The storms of life do not mean God has abandoned us; rather, they show us how close He really is. Andrew Fuller offered a powerful illustration of God’s protective grip: “We are safe, not because we hold tightly to God, but because He holds tightly to us.” Like a father holding his son on black ice, our stability comes from God’s strength, not our own. Benjamin Keach was right when he wrote, “The storms of life are but servants that drive the believer closer to his God.”
We can also be cheerful because of God’s power. Jesus said in John 16:33, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” His victory was not achieved through human flesh but through divine power. That same power now lives in every believer through the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:16). The Word of God works powerfully in us (Hebrews 4:12), strengthening us to overcome sin, sufferings, and spiritual battles. A.J. Gordon described this beautifully: “Union with Christ brings the believer into contact with an exhaustless supply of divine power.” The Christian life is not lived in our strength but in His.
Finally, we can be cheerful because of God’s presence. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14, they were afraid, but He told them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” The presence of God is the antidote to fear. Psalm 139 tells us there is nowhere we can go where God is not already present, not in the heights, the depths, or even “in hell.” Hebrews 13:5 assures us that God will never leave nor forsake His people. He was with Jeremiah in prison, Joseph in the pit, Esther in the palace, Moses in the desert, Jonah in the whale, and Paul in the storm-tossed ship. And He is with you. As Francis Wayland wrote, “The Christian’s safety and serenity lies not in his circumstances, but in the presence of his God.” Moses understood this in Exodus 33 when he said he would not move unless God went with him. There is no cheer like the cheer that comes from God’s nearness.
In closing, Jesus desires that our joy be full. Cheerfulness is not shallow optimism—it is the deep-rooted confidence that God has cleansed our past, secured our future, guides our present, empowers our walk, and surrounds us with His presence. When discouragement tries to drain your joy, take time to remember, reflect, and rehearse all that God has done for you and in you. The Christian does not have to live in fear or despair. In every season, God gives abundant reasons to be of good cheer.
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