Monday, September 26, 2016

God’s Joy

 

[Photo of a bronze statue]


“The Lord your God is with you, he is
mighty to save. He will take great delight
in you, he will quiet you with his love, he
will rejoice over you with singing.”
—Zephaniah 3:17

My husband, having spent his entire professional career in the field of fire protection, was given this statue of a child held by her rescuer.1 Can you imagine the deep joy in the heart of that firefighter? This must resemble in a small way the joy our Lord has in us.

First off, we are told in Scripture that, in and of ourselves, we have no good in us. What joy would that ever give to God? No, instead, God’s joy comes from what His Son, Jesus, has done for us and what He has made us as new creatures in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In fact, even as Jesus went to the cross, He saw joy ahead. Hebrews 12:2 tells us:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

God’s joy in us comes rather in His joy for what He has accomplished and is accomplishing through us. Joni Eareckson Tada writes:

God’s joy and delight over you finds its best expression at the cross… And He watched His Son’s murder because He loves you. This means His joy and deep emotion for you is rugged, hard-won, and victorious. He is the admiral flying colors of victory over you. He’s the hero who has carried you to safety from hell’s burn. He is the joy-filled warrior who has brought you home.2

God’s joy isn’t about us. His joy in us comes from what He has done for us. He looks at us as wonderful trophies of His mercy, grace, and love. We should be grateful and share in His joy for all that He did, and all He plans to do in and for us.

May His heart and ours be filled with that joy “unspeakable and full of glory!”

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1 Garman, Michael, Fireman with Child Statue. Colorado Springs, CO, 1986. A gift presented to Dean K. Wilson by Robert and Marlene Anderson.
2 Tada, Joni Eareckson. More Precious Than Silver. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation, 1998. Devotional for September 22nd.