DIANA is over 80 years old and has suffered a lot over the past few years. Her husband, who had Alzheimer’s disease and was in a nursing home, died. Her two sons also died, and she had to fight breast cancer. But when the brothers and sisters see Diana at the meetings or in service, she is always joyful.

John was a traveling overseer for over 43 years. He loved his assignment very much and could not imagine doing anything else. However, he had to stop serving in the traveling work to take care of a sick relative. When brothers and sisters who knew John meet him at an assembly or a convention, they find that he has not changed at all. He is still very joyful.

How is it possible for Diana and John to have joy? How can someone who suffers be joyful? How can a person be happy if he has to give up an assignment he loves? The Bible gives us the answer. It says: “The righteous one will rejoice in Jehovah.” (Psalm 64:10) We can understand this truth better if we know what will give us lasting joy and what will not.

Some things almost always bring joy. For example, think of a couple in love who get married. Or think of a person who becomes a parent or someone who gets a new assignment in Jehovah’s service. These things bring joy because they are all gifts from Jehovah. He gave us marriage, the ability to have children, and work to do in his organization.​—Genesis 2:18, 22; Psalm 127:3; 1 Timothy 3:1.

However, some things that bring joy can be temporary. Sadly, a marriage mate can be unfaithful or die. (Ezekiel 24:18; Hosea 3:1) Children can disobey their parents and God, and perhaps even be disfellowshipped. For example, Samuel’s sons did not serve Jehovah acceptably, and David had many problems in his family because he sinned with Bath-sheba. (1 Samuel 8:1-3; 2 Samuel  12:11) When things like this happen, they do not bring joy but bring grief and a lot of pain.

Similarly, sometimes we cannot continue in an assignment in Jehovah’s service because we become ill or have to take care of our family, or because there is a change in the organization. Many who have had to give up their assignment say that they miss how happy it made them feel.

We can easily see that such reasons for joy do not always last. So is there a type of joy that remains even when life becomes difficult? There must be, because Samuel, David, and others did not lose their joy when they suffered trials.

Jesus knew what joy really is. Before he came to the earth, the Bible tells us that he “rejoiced before [Jehovah] all the time.” (Proverbs 8:30) However, when he came to the earth, he sometimes had to face severe difficulties. Nevertheless, Jesus found joy in doing his Father’s will. (John 4:34) What about his last painful hours? We read: “For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake.” (Hebrews 12:2) So we can learn a lot from two things Jesus said about real joy.

Once, 70 disciples returned to Jesus after a preaching assignment. They were joyful because of all the things they had done, even expelling demons. But Jesus said to them: “Do not rejoice because the spirits are made subject to you, but rejoice because your names have been written in the heavens.” (Luke 10:1-9, 17, 20) Yes, having Jehovah’s approval is much more important and brings much greater joy than any special assignment.

Another time, when Jesus was speaking to a crowd, a Jewish woman was so impressed by his teaching that she said that his mother must be very happy to have such a son. But Jesus answered: “No, rather, happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!” (Luke 11:27, 28) Being proud  of our children can make us happy. But what gives us lasting joy is being obedient to Jehovah and having a good relationship with him.

It gives us great joy when we feel that Jehovah is pleased with us. And even though trials are not enjoyable, they do not take this feeling away from us. Actually, when we remain faithful during trials, our joy becomes even deeper. (Romans 5:3-5) Also, Jehovah gives his spirit to those who trust in him, and joy is part of its fruitage. (Galatians 5:22) That helps us to understand why Psalm 64:10 says: “The righteous one will rejoice in Jehovah.”

This also explains why Diana and John could remain joyful even though they faced difficulties. Diana says: “I have taken refuge in Jehovah, as a child would with a parent.” She adds: “I feel that he has blessed me with the ability to continue to preach on a regular basis with a smile on my face.” What helped John to remain joyful and busy in the ministry after he had to give up his assignment? He says: “Since 1998 when I was assigned to teach Ministerial Training School, I have done more personal study than ever before.” He explains that the adjustment both he and his wife had to make was easier because they were always willing to do whatever Jehovah assigned them to do. He adds: “We have done it with no regrets.”

Many others have experienced that what is said at Psalm 64:10 is true. Take, for example, a couple who served for over 30 years at Bethel in the United States. They were then assigned as special pioneers. They admitted: “Grief is a natural process when you lose something you love,” but they added: “You can’t grieve forever.” As soon as they got to their new assignment, they started to preach with the congregation. They also said: “We prayed about some very specific things. Then seeing our prayers answered encouraged us and brought us joy. Soon after we arrived, others in the congregation started pioneering, and we were blessed with two progressive Bible studies.”

Of course, it is not always easy to be joyful. There will be times when we feel sad. But Jehovah reassures us with the words we find at Psalm 64:10. Even when we are discouraged, we can be sure that if we remain faithful no matter what we go through, we “will rejoice in Jehovah.” We can also look forward to the time when Jehovah’s promise of “new heavens and a new earth” will come true. Then everyone will be perfect and will “exult and be joyful forever” because of all that Jehovah will do.​—Isaiah 65:17, 18.

Imagine what this will mean. We will have perfect health and will wake up every day full of energy. No matter what things happened in the past to make us sad, they will no longer cause us pain. Jehovah assures us that “the former things will not be called to mind, nor will they come up into the heart.” We will welcome back our loved ones who have died and will feel like the parents of the 12-year-old girl whom Jesus resurrected: “They were beside themselves with great ecstasy.” (Mark 5:42) Eventually, every person on earth will be truly righteous and will “rejoice in Jehovah” forever.