I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people. (Isaiah 65:19 ESV)
God’s Joy
This is an unusual concept to our modern ears. While we can imagine God’s anger, God’s frustration, and God’s disappointment, do we often think of God rejoicing? While can grasp God’s unconditional love, it seems a serious and costly thing, and we rarely think of God being glad through His love.
While we know that God forgives, it seems easier to imagine Him forgiving with forbearance, than to believe that He rejoices in forgiving! It seems easier to imagine Him regretting that we forced Him to forgive, than to believe that He rejoices in forgiving! It seems easier to imagine Him holding back forgiveness until we prove ourselves worthy of it, than to believe that He forgives eagerly, gladly, and joyfully!
Bur that is our God. He rejoices in us, and is glad in us.
Intellectually, we can understand that God’s joy comes from His trust in His own behind-the-scenes goodness. And that might be a part of it. Intellectually, we can understand that God’s joy comes from His presence in glorious heaven, and that might be a part of it. Intellectually, we can understand that God’s joy comes from His perfect Union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that might be a part of it.
But really, God rejoices because He is the God of joy! God rejoices because He loves to rejoice! God rejoices because He rejoices!
And that is one of His gifts to us!
God Himself is the gift of Joy.