Is God Happy? Why does the question of God’s happiness
matter for our happiness?
If you have an influential person with
a negative, critical spirit in your life (spouse, parent, boss, co-worker), you
know how much they affect your disposition; so just imagine how your view of God
affects your disposition.
AW Tozer is famous for saying, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
Jonathan Edwards said, “It is of
infinite importance . . . to know what kind of being God is. For he
is . . . the only fountain of our happiness.”
Alcorn then says, “What accounts for
Christians not experiencing the happiness and joy the Bible often speaks of?
I’m convinced a central reason—perhaps the central reason—is that many people
who believe in God do not believe that God himself is happy.”
Many lifelong Christians have been
taught about God’s holiness, justice, omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience,
even love, but how often have they (you) heard that God is happy?
So is He happy? Absolutely.
The final reward for faithful servants
is when we hear the words, “Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew
25:21, NIV).
David says of God in Psalm 16:11, “in your presence there is fullness
of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Paul referred to God in 1 Timothy 6:15 as “he who is the blessed [happy] and only Sovereign, the King of kings.”
Q – Is happy what comes to mind when
you think of God? Why or why not?
Q – What difference would it make if
you thought of God as happy?
Comments