Devotional Thoughts for the Week of November 10, 2019 - A Joyful God?
How do you picture God? If you try to envision His face as He looks at you today, what kind of expression comes to mind? Over the past several weeks teens and I have been studying the attributes of God. We have looked at His holiness, omnipotence, love, omnipresence, wisdom, righteousness, grace, sovereignty, immutability, even His wrath. I was surprised this week to find that the next attribute in this study series is the Joy of God. I have rarely considered this description. I confess I almost never picture Him smiling with delight. I occasionally envision a twinkle in His eye, anticipating His answer to my prayer, but mostly I equate “spiritual” to “somber.” What about you? Do you think of Almighty God as joyful? What does Scripture tell us?
God’s Word tells us we can know joy directly from Him and in Him (Psalm 16:11). He also anointed His own Son with the oil of joy (Psalm 45:7). When Scripture talks about the Joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10) perhaps it doesn’t just mean joy for us but joy that comes from within Himself. The same God who created humans and called them “very good” takes “great delight in His people” and “rejoices over [them] with singing” (Gen.1:31, Zephaniah 3:17). Jesus wanted His disciples to be filled up with His joy (John 15:11, 17:13).
Why is it so much easier to picture Him frowning at us, disgusted at our fears and failures, then it is to picture Him smiling in delight? The same God who calls us to holiness also invites us into His joy. That is an invitation we don’t want to ignore. Even as we strive to be holy, let us continue to press in to be always learning to know and love Him more. As we learn to know Him, we discover more wonderful parts of who He is . . . like how He is filled with joy.
Friends, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). If we are not yet filled with all joy and peace, abounding in hope, then we are missing out on part of what He wants for His children. Let us not settle, but seek Him and receive all that He has for us.
Lynn
Devotional Thoughts for the Week of November 10, 2019 - A Joyful God?
How do you picture God? If you try to envision His face as He looks at you today, what kind of expression comes to mind? Over the past several weeks teens and I have been studying the attributes of God. We have looked at His holiness, omnipotence, love, omnipresence, wisdom, righteousness, grace, sovereignty, immutability, even His wrath. I was surprised this week to find that the next attribute in this study series is the Joy of God. I have rarely considered this description. I confess I almost never picture Him smiling with delight. I occasionally envision a twinkle in His eye, anticipating His answer to my prayer, but mostly I equate “spiritual” to “somber.” What about you? Do you think of Almighty God as joyful? What does Scripture tell us?
God’s Word tells us we can know joy directly from Him and in Him (Psalm 16:11). He also anointed His own Son with the oil of joy (Psalm 45:7). When Scripture talks about the Joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10) perhaps it doesn’t just mean joy for us but joy that comes from within Himself. The same God who created humans and called them “very good” takes “great delight in His people” and “rejoices over [them] with singing” (Gen.1:31, Zephaniah 3:17). Jesus wanted His disciples to be filled up with His joy (John 15:11, 17:13).
Why is it so much easier to picture Him frowning at us, disgusted at our fears and failures, then it is to picture Him smiling in delight? The same God who calls us to holiness also invites us into His joy. That is an invitation we don’t want to ignore. Even as we strive to be holy, let us continue to press in to be always learning to know and love Him more. As we learn to know Him, we discover more wonderful parts of who He is . . . like how He is filled with joy.
Friends, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). If we are not yet filled with all joy and peace, abounding in hope, then we are missing out on part of what He wants for His children. Let us not settle, but seek Him and receive all that He has for us.
Lynn