The Most Joyful Man

I grew up in a religious environment where deep things of the heart were not so easily expressed, even positive things like joy. Once, in the beginning days of IHOP-KC, I was telling the Lord, “I want to have joy! Give me Your joy!” Remembering that Mike Bickle had taught on the joy of Jesus out of Psalm 45:7, I turned to it:  “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

I remember the spot in the prayer room where I was standing that day. I stood there in shock. God, You mean to tell me that the reason Jesus has more joy than any other human on the earth is because He loves righteousness and hates wickedness?

Wouldn’t you think it would say, “You love righteousness and hates wickedness, therefore You are so angry and annoyed because there is no one who is righteous—no, not one!” But no! “Therefore,” the Scripture says, He has more joy than anyone!

I wondered, Could it be, Lord, that the more righteous I become the more joyful I become? And I imagine He broke into a smile when I asked this of Him and said, “Yes! Blessed are they whose way is blameless! Their hearts are not weighed down! They are free to love! Free to enjoy My goodness!”

When you read the Gospels’ accounts of Christ, do you see the happiest man that ever walked the earth?

Sometimes God acts in ways that we don’t understand. Maybe we don’t always see His kindness in His severity (because we don’t have all the information like He does). More times than I can count, while reading the Gospels I have exclaimed to the Lord, “What You said to that person seems downright rude! Help me see what You saw, that I might understand what You said!”

It is not accusation to dialogue with the Lord in this way; it is wrestling. Accusation insists I know something God does not. Wrestling insists God knows something I do not and reaches for renewing of the mind.

So as we see the way Christ interacted with people, we can—and should!—ask the Holy Spirit, “Show me what this scenario looked like considering this Man was the most gracious, merciful, joyful man that ever walked the earth?” As we hear His words we can ask, “What would have these words sounded like, considering He was the holiest and happiest man ever?”  (It is Christ’s promise to us—that the Counselor would take belongs to Him and disclose it to us!)

How different instruction sounds when it comes from a heart that’s full of joy; and correction, when it flows from a heart of compassion! His zeal to deal with sin is simply His passion to set His people free into the joy He created them for. He just wants to remove what hinders love.

I see myself very differently when I look through His eyes of joy. Only then can I interpret His discipline rightly! I see others differently, too—enabled to rejoice over my companions, even as He does! “As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight” (Ps. 16:3). Usually when I am cranky with others it is because I think God is cranky with me. It is in beholding His glad heart that I become a person of gladness.

How this makes sense of what we know about Jesus and the people who loved and hated Him! Children love vibrant people. They don’t like ol’ cranks! Sinners like genuine and happy people, not stiff and mean folks. And ambitious religious leaders hate lively ones who put people before their program.

Could we stop accusing Him? Could we enter into the wrestling of faith, assuming He knows something we don’t—that if we knew all He knew we would never suspect Him of being too harsh again?

Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to make Ps. 45:7 the holy lens through which we interpret all His words and deeds.

Tagged as: faith, joy, wrestling