The Joy of Glory

Isaiah 65:17-25 (click here)
But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. (Isaiah 65:18-19)

Reflection
Joy.

We thirst for it…long for it…seek it…yet it seemingly remains elusive.

All of life can seem like an unfulfilled hunt to satisfy our hunger for joy. Why? Why do we seek joy and why does it seemingly remain just out of our reach.

Scripture answers our questions with the claim that we were created for joy! We seek joy because that is what we were made to do. Yet, we do not find it because we fail to look for it in the one place it can be forever found…God.

We have an eternal thirst for joy, and there is only one eternally satisfying source.

We were created for joy in God.

However, our hunger has become twisted and seeks to be satisfied by anything other than the Lord. We need to be recreated with a hunger for God! We need this world, which tries to distract us with so many false joys, to be recreated in such a way that all things draw us toward the eternal fountain of joy…Jesus!

This is exactly what we have been promised. God will recreate all things to be a joy! All things will bring gladness to us, his people, for all things will perfectly point us to him!

No more weeping and crying in distress because we cannot find that which satisfies! No! He who satisfies will be ours forever and we will be his!

We fight toward that day! We fight right now to find our joy in Jesus, knowing the day will come when that fight will be won and we shall know perfect, eternal joy in him!

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.