JOY IN GOD
By Ward
Fenley
INTRODUCTION
For several years now I have wanted to write
a book that deals with theology in a very practical way: a book that stretches
the mind, yet has clear relevance to the Christian life. It is easy to
write an article or a book on an area of theology that is dear to the soul.
Almost all of us who have been Christians for some time have found certain
doctrines that have reached into our hearts and incited us to study that
particular doctrine to a greater degree. And oftentimes while studying
that particular doctrine we will find ourselves wandering down a little
rabbit trail that leads us on into other doctrinal territory; then the
search is on again into a new area of theology that touches us (and hopefully
that new area of theology is biblical!).
Each of us has found different doctrines
that have had profound impacts on our way of thinking: for some the doctrine
of God’s grace is a very heart-warming doctrine. For others it is perhaps
the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. And still for some it may be
the holiness of God or the resurrection that has lasting effects on the
way we think. We are each created uniquely and with certain passions that
grip our lives.
In my particular case the first doctrine
that I started studying was the doctrine of eschatology (the doctrine of
last things): such topics as the antichrist, 666, the middle-east, Armageddon,
and the book of Revelation really intrigued me. I had a close friend who
was my Sunday school teacher who had all these charts and diagrams with
multitudes of circles and arrows that really got my attention. After studying
that for a while I began to really look into the doctrine of what some
people call eternal security. I prefer to identify it as eternal salvation.
At the time I was in high school, and I had a good friend who was involved
in a religion that taught the doctrine of salvation by works. That is,
instead of believing that we are justified (made righteous in the sight
of God) through faith in Jesus Christ, this friend believed we were justified
by our good works, and that those good works would get us into heaven.
So it really forced me to study the issue further. In my first year of
college I was exposed to the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. This
became my favorite doctrine. I studied it backwards and forwards and could
defend it very well. But the arguments with those who would deny that Jesus
Christ is the almighty God grew a little dull after a while and I found
myself searching for more truth. Then just after I finished college I was
introduced to a young man who shared with me the doctrine of predestination
and what some people call Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. And so this
became a new passion for me. For years I studied these "doctrines of grace"
and actually found them very edifying and uplifting. But then those doctrines
were not as dear to me as they were when I first learned them. In fact
the other doctrines were also not giving me the joy they once were. Finally
I began studying the nature of the kingdom of Christ. This area of study
involved finding Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament.
For example, when Isaiah says, "He was wounded for our transgressions and
He was bruised for our iniquities," I found great satisfaction in that
truth: that is, that Christ fulfilled these prophecies. So that was a doctrinal
trail I pursued for a while.
But in all those doctrinal pursuits, there
continued to exist a nagging reality: that reality was that the doctrines
in and of themselves were not giving me happiness in life. For whatever
reason, after each of these doctrinal pursuits, I would reach these plateaus
that were dry spots in my life. It seemed that I would often study myself
into deep depression striving to find something new that would revitalize
my Christian walk. My study of the Scriptures became a mere intellectual
safari: a journey to make sure I had all the answers to every question
that plagued my mind. And when I would find the answer, I would be ecstatic.
But then the intellectual ecstasy would fade. Nevertheless I would continue
the doctrinal pursuit. Certainly I would justify this pursuit with the
text:
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to
conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
If God was hiding something, then it was my
duty to study and search out the answer until I found it, no matter what.
Granted, to my delight I found many answers to questions God brought my
way. But then there were those dismal times of questions that I simply
could not answer—questions that appeared to have no answer at all. In fact,
I would study myself to the point of beginning to doubt God, to doubt the
Bible, and to doubt my purpose in this world. Of all the things that can
disturb the human mind—breaking up with a girlfriend or a boyfriend, divorce,
getting fired from a job, losing a loved one—none is so devastating as
the trauma of beginning to doubt that which concerns your philosophy of
life. This is true not only to the religious but also to the non-religious
as well. When your philosophy of life suddenly does not seem to uphold
your future, yea your eternity, your mind can begin a downward spiral toward
purposelessness, lonliness, and that which some have called spiritual
depression.1 In fact, this happened to
me. That Bible that had been so dear to me had become my enemy. But it
was an enemy that I knew had been my best friend. That is what was so incredibly
difficult. It would be one thing if I had grown up as a budding atheist
or agnostic: then the Bible would have simply always been my enemy. But
it had been my friend, my companion, my comfort in times of trouble. It
was that book to which I would come home at night from a day of stress,
a bout with sin, or just an uneventful day, and I could find solace and
warmth. It would soothe me before I entered into what otherwise would have
been a restless night. But everything had changed. What was my comrade
had become my opponent. It was not the opponent that it is to many. That
is, it was not that I didn’t want the Bible in my life to guide me and
to stir my heart into worshiping the living God. The unbeliever wants nothing
to do with the Bible, for most everything in the Bible goes against the
mind of the unbeliever. But as a believer I was finding myself in this
new love/hate relationship with the most precious thing in my life. I loved
it because it comforted me. But I began to hate it because with every new
treasure I was finding, I was also finding gaps, holes—not in the word
of course, but holes in my mind—holes that represented my inability to
answer questions, many of which were troubling. I usually was always able
to find answers to even the most perplexing questions: questions like the
sovereignty of God, the presence of evil in the world, God’s omniscience,
etc. But then I would stumble across issues not nearly as important, but
important enough to make me waver. The things at which I would falter are
not things that I necessarily need to mention here. In fact, I still have
many of the same questions. But my purpose in writing this book is not
to deal with those questions, but rather deal with the solution to my troubled
and discontented mind. All of us have things that affect us differently.
For some, discontentment and despair come primarily because of troubled
families. For others, trouble comes from difficulty in intimate relationships,
or at the job, or with the children. But for me personally, why was this
happening? Why had I suddenly come to a place where I just could not get
the answers to my questions? And worse, why was this driving me into a
depression and despair that was leading me away from intimacy and companionship
with God and His word?
After pondering these questions for countless
nights, I found that the answer lay in two very basic Sunday school verses:
Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in
word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
and the Father by him.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye
eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
The issue was simply motives. The real question
I should have been asking was not why I was experiencing what I was experiencing;
but rather, the question should have been: why do I study and search the
Bible at all? A dear friend once wrote to me:
"Ward, I think worshiping scripture has
been something you have done. Now don't get me wrong. I cannot see into
your heart and see what you put above God. I can only judge what I have
seen. It seems to me that you find your identity, not necessarily in Christ,
but in what you believe is true about the bible...I just feel you have
gotten so caught up in the intricacies of scripture that you have lost
sight of the heart of worship, which is Jesus."
What this person said was so true. My trouble
had arisen from looking to something for my contentment. For me it was
searching for intellectual satisfaction from the Bible. To a great degree
I was looking to Scripture (the words on the page) rather than looking
to the author of the Scripture for my joy and satisfaction. Though the
bible is clear in what our respect for the word should be, I was falling
short of this. The Psalmist writes:
Psalms 119:14 I have rejoiced in the way
of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
I thought that I was pursuing this. But what
was my motive for searching His testimonies? The Psalmist sets out the
ultimate goal for searching God’s word:
Psalms 119:7 I will praise thee with uprightness
of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
Yes, I sought to learn of God’s word and righteous
judgments, but it was for my own intellectual gain and not so much to "praise
God with uprightness of heart." I was not looking to God’s word to adore
Him. I was looking to pacify my greedy mind. I was looking to find my contentment
in answers to problems rather than looking to find my contentment in the
solution to my problems—and that solution is God.
I had to come to the realization that it
is very possible to study a doctrine or a philosophy for the sake of purely
intellectual gain rather than to simply find joy in Jesus Christ. I now
try to be more aware of my motive in studying any given doctrine. I ask
questions like: how does this affect my life? How does this affect the
way I view and treat people? And most importantly, how does this affect
the way I view and treat God? Isn’t this our goal? Isn’t this the primary
aim of of Christianity and the worship of God?
Mark 12:29-31 And Jesus answered him, The
first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord: {30} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this
is the first commandment. {31} And the second is like, namely this, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater
than these.
At this point you may be asking the question:
"So great, that was his problem, but how do I deal with mine?" My intention
in writing this book is for us to lear how to find joy in whatever circumstance
we confront. For me personally, the problem was unanswered questions. Others
have different problems of equal importance. We will always have problems,
and those in abundance. But the real questions that must be asked are:
How do we deal with our problems and what is our ultimate goal in problem
solving? We do not simply want to solve our problems. We need to have a
goal in solving our problems. We need to be "purpose-driven"2.
And finally, how do we obtain the missing element that so evades the majority
of humanity, and that is, joy?
The text upon which this book will be built
is found, not surprisingly, in the book of Psalms:
Psalms 43:3-5 O send out thy light and
thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and
to thy tabernacles. {4} Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God
my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
{5} Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within
me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance,
and my God.
Numerous books have been written on overcoming
depression, problem solving, finding happiness, conflict-resolution etc.
Some of these books address these issues from a humanistic perspective.
Others address the issues from a psychological perspective. A few address
the issues from a biblical perspective. And still others incorporate a
little of each to deal with the issues. Mine falls pretty much into the
category of those who deal with issues from a biblical point of view. Pragmatism
is often frowned upon by many Christians, and in many cases with just cause.
However, like science, many times the Scripture and pragmatism unite. For
example, some people find great joy in getting out in the wilderness and
enjoying the beauty of their surroundings, both in the heavens and the
earth. Atheists can do this and so can theists. However, when the theist
does this, he or she has the privilege of finding satisfaction not merely
in the creation, but also in the Creator:
Psalms 8 To the chief Musician upon Gittith,
A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the
earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. {2} Out of the mouth of
babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies,
that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. {3} When I consider
thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou
hast ordained; {4} What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son
of man, that thou visitest him? {5} For thou hast made him a little lower
than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. {6} Thou madest
him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things
under his feet: {7} All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
{8} The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth
through the paths of the seas. {9} O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy
name in all the earth!
Notice the mindset of the Psalmist. He does
not only observe the grandeur of the creation. He first, in approaching
his observation of the creation, recognizes that the glory of God is even
above the creation (vs.1). And even at the conclusion of the Psalm he sees
the ultimate goal of finding excellence in the name of God in all the earth.
That is, this theist found delight in the creation—in his cosmological
surroundings, so to speak. He observed the beauty of the heavens and the
earth, and that worked for him. That was pragmatic for him. For others
it could be riding a horse or reading a book. But the Psalmist here expressed
his delight in the creation. But his delight in the creation was founded
upon a greater delight, and that delight was in the divine Architect of
the creation. He was always aware that the glory of the Creator was eminently
above the glory of the creation. But through the creation the Psalmist
was able to find excellence in the name of God. Certainly pleasure and
enjoyment was experienced in the Psalmist’s observation of creation. Creation
was used as a vehicle to stir his mind into thanksgiving and adoration
of God. And this should be a constant pursuit of ours: namely to be able
to use all of the unique creations of God as vehicles to stir our minds
into praising Him. So then we find that if looking at the creation helps
you relax and have some peace in your mind, then by all means, take in
the creation and rejoice in its beauty and splendor. But always have the
pervading thought that the ultimate end of all things is to bring glory
and honor to Jesus Christ.
Returning to our foundational text, Psalm
43:3-5. It is the truth found in this text that will lay the groundwork
for finding joy in life, for in this text the Psalmist identifies what
true joy is:
Psalms 43:4 Then will I go unto the altar
of God, unto God my exceeding joy:
The Psalmist clearly declares where he finds
joy, or more accurately, what his joy is—God. Think of that concept: God
is our joy. God is our exceeding joy. When so many things in our lives
take our attention to other places than beholding the face of God, the
emphatic truth remains that God is our exceeding joy, whether we are consciously
identifying with it or not. When the trials of life arise that seem like
insurmountable heights, the Christian can usually be sure that atop of
what appear to be lofty jagged mountains will be a panorama that will enable
him or her to see every trial and tribulation, every storm and strife,
with the vision and joy of God. Remember that the Psalmist said, "O LORD
our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" Most likely, as
we approach the upward climb of a jagged mountain, we will be on a journey
to find that the truth was certain: How excellent is God’s name in that
mountain. Remember, the less mountains, the more valleys. The more mountains,
the more grand and glorious panoramas of joy and delight we will experience
once we reach the top.
So, friend, Christian, and unbeliever: may
you find hope and comfort as you pursue this spiritual journey into true
and everlasting joy, a joy that keeps one on top of life—joy in God.
Ward
Fenley
1. See D.Martyn
Lloyd-Jones—Spiritual Depression 1965, reprinted by Eerdmans 1988
2. The Purpose
Driven Church by Rick Warren, Zondervan 1995 p.242
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