Finding Joy in God

The husband of a quilting friend dropped into our gathering with their first grandchild. She is four months old and quickly became the delight of the day. She didn’t perform or do anything for us but just be herself and we enjoyed her.

This is the kind of joy that yesterday’s post described, a joy in God simply for who He is, whether He is doing anything for us or not. But unlike the baby, we cannot see Him. We can see what He does and when that seems right or feels good, it is easy to be joyful for that reason, yet when life is full of rotten apples and we know He is sovereign, then what? How can the glory of God be my source of joy when the evidence is not there?

Faith says it. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 1:11) but if this is missing, then Jesus is that evidence. He said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6–7)

The Holy Spirit is the source of ‘knowing’ what God is like, but also the source of the joy that goes with this knowledge:

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9–10)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

I see in the Colossians verses that knowing must result in obedience and in the fruit bearing of the Galatians verses. Putting this together, seeking the will of God and doing what He says is a big part of ‘increasing in the knowledge of Him’ so that I can find my joy in who He is, along with what He does.

Obedience is important. It is like walking a dark path with a flashlight; the only way to see what is ahead is to take the next step, and the next, and the next. His Word outlines this:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3–8)

If I add to my faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection and love, then my knowledge of God increases too, just as John says:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (1 John 2:3–4)

The bottom line is this: if I want to know God better so that my joy is in Him and not just in what He does for me, then I need to do as He says. This involves spiritual growth and focus, not ever doing ‘my thing’ but obeying Him.

PRAY: So simple, Jesus, yet that ‘my’ stuff can be hard to shake. Only You can save me from myself and the peril of ignoring, neglecting, or not even knowing what You want from me. I hear You saying, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) Increase that desire in my heart.