Portrait of God: Rediscovering the Attributes of God Through the Stories of His PeopleSample

The God of Joy

There has never been a time when personal happiness has been given as much weight in decision-making as now. It seems that almost every talking head in pop culture repeats the mantra, “Do what makes you happy!”

The question is, do we even know what makes us happy? Sure, most of us can name the things that give us pleasure: “Going hiking makes me happy,” or “Getting exercise every day really helps my mood.” These things are wonderful, of course, but in the long term, are they going to make us fundamentally happy?

Such “life hacks” are helpful for a time, but their benefits have an expiration date. The weekend hike always ends, and then comes Monday morning. The endorphins from our workout dissipate as we reengage the difficulties of life.

Joy must be something more than just happiness. Joy is actually a deep longing. Our moments of happiness and pleasure draw us to Himself. Because He is the ultimate end.

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:16-17).

God is not on a mission to stop people from having fun. Actually, the fun begins with Him. We think that worldly pleasures will fulfill us, but they let us down every time. God Himself is the author of everything good, true, and beautiful! And when we find Him, we can truly enjoy the world He made and find an unfading joy that comes from His nature.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

In what ways have you experienced God as the God of color, fun, and creativity?