Joy Unspeakable - Black Church (Galatians 5:22-23)

The Black Church knows joy that defies circumstances—what one hymn calls "joy unspeakable and full of glory." How could enslaved people sing? How could sharecroppers shout? The joy of Galatians 5:22 is Spirit-produced, not circumstance-dependent. This is not denial of pain but triumph over it. Howard Thurman wrote of "the inward sea" where the Spirit dwells, producing calm even when outer storms rage. The fruit of joy grew in the hardest soil—proof that it's the Spirit's work, not human achievement.