What if God knew what would make you happy? And what if He decided to give you what would make you happy? That sounds great, doesn’t it?
Next question, what if God knew what would make you happy—but you didn’t know what would make you happy? Or, what if God knew what would make happy—and you didn’t want it? That sounds far-fetched, doesn’t it? Let’s use a down-to-earth example of what I mean.
Imagine a parent who knows what would make their child happy, really happy. It might be an experience, a vacation, a gift, whatever; but the child doesn’t want it. The child wants to have his or her own way. Assuming the parent knows what can bring real happiness and the child doesn’t, chances are neither the parent nor the child will experience the happiness that might have been.
Could that earthly scenario reflect what happens in our lives when our Heavenly Father knows what will bring us deep, long lasting joy but we want something else? Do we want God to give us what will make us happy (in our estimation) here and now or to give us the “joy of the Lord” we read about in the Bible?
Maybe we need to check our understanding of God. Is God good, truly, completely good? Is God all-wise, knowing everything past, present, and future? Does God know you and me intimately, perfectly? Does He know what will bring joy to you and me? Yes, yes, yes, correct? If God wants to give us the gift that will bring us joy, will we recognize the gift? Will we accept it?
If you have followed me so far, you may be thinking of the things God has already given to you, material, emotional, spiritual blessings—salvation, security, family, peace of soul. These are gifts from God and they can bring happiness. But if we look deeper and take the long look, what brings joy is a deeper, more enduring awareness or appreciation of God’s glory. What do we mean by God’s glory?
Commonly, glory refers to the magnificence or greatness, even the beauty of something. We see or hear or feel that something is glorious. God’s glory, then, is His greatness, His beauty and magnificence. God’s perfections—perfect love, mercy, goodness, justice, wisdom, power, and more—show His greatness. God’s revelation of who and what He is—His nature, character, and purpose are elements of His glory. As we become more aware of God’s glory, we enjoy Him and He enjoys us.
But what if God wants to give us more of himself, but we are unwilling to open ourselves to Him and to receive His gift?
We want happiness and we want it now because we are people of the earth, the here and now. We may read about life beyond this one and sing about it, but eternity (whatever that means) has to wait until we get the things and have the experiences we want. So, this “now” in which we live often becomes a struggle to get what we want not what God wants to give us.
People who have been born again have glimpsed a bit of God’s glory in Jesus Christ. We have seen God’s jealous wrath along with His justice and mercy as Jesus, the Son of God, died for the sins of the world. We have seen God’s power in Jesus’ resurrection. We have experienced the Holy Spirit in our lives. And we are discovering that God knows what will bring us joy. The question is will we accept His gift.