Desiring God – Joy

We have these moments when light breaks through the shadows of this world, bursts of happiness that wrap around us. It's in the warmth of the setting sun on your skin and a child's hand in yours, the comfort of a caring family, a close friendship, a clear purpose. In these moments, something stirs inside us and we smile, pulled into the joy of the present and then they're gone. We tell ourselves these will do, this is enough, but deep down we know there's more, there has to be more. These moments are like windows, glimpses of eternity, inviting us to taste and see something beyond the reach of this world. They point us to the one who breathed the life into the child, who formed the flower and painted the light that floods our eyes, God. This God made us, he created us, knit together with purpose to glorify him in every act, in every breath, to reflect his greatness and beauty and worth, to love him. But we don't. We look within and see our anger, our lust, our fear. We don't love others and we don't love God. Sin burdens us, leaving us lost. We wonder if we could ever please him and this leaves us stuck, torn between our desire for happiness and his call for glory, between what we crave and what he commands. But we don't have to choose. The Bible teaches that our happiness and his glory need not be at odds, that through Jesus our sins are forgiven, that he creates whole new capacities for joy. The beautiful truth is that when we find satisfaction in him, we show his superior worth because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. In him alone we uncover a richness that fills us. When we deny ourselves and follow him, we don't lose joy, we find it. And with him every good joy grows sweeter. There's a treasure waiting far greater than the fleeting moments we chase, a joy that is full, a happiness that endures forever. Come, discover the fullest reason you exist, to glorify God by enjoying him forever.