The Gladness of God – 551 verses and counting…
For about the past five or six years, one of my passions has been studying the subject of the gladness of God’s heart – that he is not mostly mad or mostly sad, but is indeed mostly glad. He smiles much more than He frowns. In fact, His radiant gladness is inexhaustible, flowing from the infinitely enjoyable relationships He (Father, Son and Spirit) shares in the Fellowship of the Trinity. The reason why I been so passionate about this subject is because I have experienced how powerful it is in my personal life. The more I have set my heart to study, meditate on, and behold His gladness, I have found my heart increasingly falling in love with God, enjoying Him to a greater measure, experiencing feelings more deeply, being more inwardly stable and centered and moving more freely in love toward others. It has been a remarkable journey and I know I’m not finished yet. I am excited about what another five years, and 10, 20, 30 years beyond that will do to my heart as I enjoy the happy God.
As I have explored this subject, I have been compiling a list of every verse in the Bible which I have found to relate to the subject. Some of course are more clearer and significant that others, but regardless, I included everything I could find. I currently have 551 verses and counting. I have split them into two lists – one of verses that explicitly refer to God’s happiness and another with verses that imply his joy. I’ve posted both of them on the Resources page, along with some of my thoughts on the gladness of God in the fellowship of the Trinity. I invite you to check them out and let me know if you find them helpful or if you find any more verses!
