The Joy You Were Made For

“You make known the path of life; in your presence there is the fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  Psalm 16:11

Some of us grew up in a head-based Christianity.  Of course, we didn’t know it because that was our subculture.  But looking back, we can see that rules were key, and living by the rules was the path to righteousness. It was not promoted with ill intent; it’s just what we knew in middle America at that time.

So, when I read the above verse, I get a cultural jolt.  Wait, what? God has pleasures he intends to dole out to us sitting at his right hand? Wouldn’t that be wrong.  Wouldn’t that be counter-productive to our spiritual lives. Can you see how this thinking works?

Those of us who live in freedom know that this mentality is pretty off base. Psalm 16:11 says that the God who doesn’t sin invented pleasures and wants to give them to us.  Before we dive into the verse, let’s muse on what godly pleasures might look like.  What about that feeling you get when you come in hot from physical labor and take your first drink of cool water.  How does it feel? What does it feel like to exercise for a couple of hours and then begin your cooldown?  The endorphins are maxed out.

What does it feel like when you see and connect with a friend you’ve been longing to speak with?  What about when you share difficulties in a group and are encouraged and embraced rather than attacked?  How does it feel to witness a breathtaking sunset? Or hold a newborn baby?  

How does it feel to connect with God in worship and let your soul enter God’s grace?  The tears start to flow.  You are self-conscious but decide to embrace it.

Do you see how beautiful pleasures in this world can be? God intended us to experience such pleasures.  He is happy that we get to feel this way.  He wanted it to be so.

Now, let’s look at the verse in context. In Psalm 16, David has called upon God to spare him.  He’s seen God’s goodness and the difficulties of those who follow another god.  David has a beautiful inheritance, and he experiences God’s own council.  His heart is glad and his whole being rejoices.  David knows his soul will not be abandoned, even in death.  And now David gives the summary:

Live on the path of life. It’s there where God is to be found.

This verse probably refers back to the two ways of life displayed in Psalm 1. David has chosen the way of life and on that path, David finds joy in fullness. Psalm 4:7 reminds us that the joy found in God is far greater than the joy anything else can deliver. My summary of Psalm 4:7 is “there is more joy in God than exists in a huge crazy party.” So, we should not be surprised when we experience this joy because it is part of God’s very nature! And it’s expressed in the spiritual fruit in Galatians 5:22-23. In fact, we might wonder why we do not feel more joy in the Holy Spirit since it is a natural outcome of life in the Spirit.

Now, David goes beyond a faithful life and loads of joy into pleasure in God’s presence.  Listen to the richness, the enjoyment that David experiences in Psalm 23.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  

He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

We are created by God to experience and live in His presence and in joy.  When we walk by the Spirit and live in the Spirit, it will become a part of us and flow out from us.  I have joy now, but I still have much more to learn and experience. Maybe it’s the same for you. The goodness of God is without end...