#DailyDevotion Is The LORD God Your Exceeding Joy?
Psalm 43 4Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, the Joy of my life; and I will praise You on the lyre, O God, my God.
Such is the circle of worship with the LORD our God, the God of the Old and New Testaments. It begins with the LORD in verse 3 sending His light, His truth to guide us and taking us to His holy hill. Then having received these gifts of the LORD we go to the altar of the altar of God with praise. God serves us with His gifts in Christ Jesus, then in and through faith in Christ Jesus we respond with faith, thanks, praise and prayers with the gifts He gives us.
St. Augustine once wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” The same is true for joy. Our translators here treat it as a name for God. Most translations also translate it as, “to God my exceeding joy.” Brenton’s translation of the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) translates it, “to God who gladdens my youth.” I think perhaps our translation is looking at the Septuagint here.
We chase after happiness in many and various ways. We may seek it in a spouse or “significant other.” We may seek it by gathering wealth. Some seek happiness with sex, drugs and alcohol. But seeking and chasing after happiness tends to have the object we seek happiness from form into some sort of addiction that ruins our soul and so none of these things can truly bring us happiness. Happiness happens and it usually happens when we are just doing what we are supposed to be doing.
But who seeks joy? Does anyone even use this word anymore? I can’t remember the last time apart from the Scriptures that I have seen it. I wonder perhaps if the devil himself is trying to take this word from us. The Hebrew word for joy is simchah. Its other meanings include mirth, gladness, glee, gaiety, and pleasure. I think the only word from that list we use is pleasure and there it’s usually as “sinful pleasure.” But David points to God as our exceeding Joy. Perhaps it should be a name for God. It is in God alone we should seek joy, in all His gifts and benefits to us.
Jesus says in John 15, “10If you obey My commandments, you’ll stay in My love, as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and stay in His love. 11I told you this so that My joy will be in you and your joy will be complete. 12This is what I order you to do: Love one another as I have loved you.” In John 17 Jesus prays, “13“But now I am coming to You, and I say this while I am in the world so that they will have all My joy in their hearts.” Christ wants the joy that is in His heart to be in ours. Make God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit your joy. Make their promises your joy. Make their command to love one another as Christ loved us your joy. Our truest joy will be serving and loving one another as Christ has served and loved us.
5Why am I so discouraged and why am I in such turmoil? I must look to God for help, and praise Him as my Savior and my God.
This is a good question. Why am I so discouraged and in such turmoil? Probably because I’m not looking to God for help. When I recognize Jesus is my Savior and my God who promises He never leaves us or forsakes us (Hebrews) then I can have joy. Jesus is my exceeding joy. Nothing else really matters other than what He wants to give us. Everything else follows and flows from that.
Heavenly Father, may the joy of Your Son Jesus Christ fill our hearts by Your Holy Spirit through Your great and wonderful promises so I will not be discouraged or in turmoil trusting in You to be our help. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.