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God, My Exceeding Joy, by Pastor Charlie

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God, My Exceeding Joy
By Pastor Charlie

Last Sunday afternoon through Tuesday, I went on a personal prayer retreat at Charles A. Lindbergh State Park near Little Falls, Minnesota. My heart was simply to spend extended time with the Lord and reflect on my life with him as well as on the upcoming year of ministry at Glory of Christ.
On Sunday evening, I read Psalm 43 which was most likely written by King David. He begins by pleading with the Lord for help and vindication against an enemy that’s too strong for him. He has taken refuge in the Lord, but he also feels rejected by the Lord, and so he seeks his face.
David cries out in verses 3-4. “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling [the tabernacle]! Then I will go to the altar of God [the ark of the covenant], to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” Then he concludes the Psalm by preaching to his soul, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (verse 5).
As I meditated on David’s words, I was especially struck by the phrase in verse 4, “God my exceeding joy.” I had to confess to the Lord that, whereas I do love him and seek to put him first in my life, I don’t think it’s quite accurate to say that he’s my exceeding joy. My overwhelming joy. My all-consuming joy. My I-have-to-have-Him-or-I-will-die joy. And I was glad to confess to the Lord that, whatever the state of my heart and life before him, I do want to stretch and grow toward the day wherein he is my everything. Wherein my heart is completely unified to love and enjoy him. Wherein my greatest desire is to be with him and my highest joy in all things is him.
This quest for joy in God came to be the theme of my retreat, and while I think it’s best to keep the details between the Lord and me, I do want to give him glory and say that he helped me move down the road toward being consumed with joy in him. And he helped me to see that, whatever the details of our lives together as a church this ministry year (September 2016-August 2017), his desire for us is that he would be our consuming desire. His heart for us as a people is that we would be captivated with him in the depths of our hearts. His joy in leading us is that he would become our exceeding joy, through the blood of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So with this aim in mind, how is your heart doing before the Lord? Is he your exceeding joy? Why or why not? What steps can you take today to move toward the day wherein he is your everything? Beloved, take some time to talk with our Father about these things and know that he is eager to share with you his fullness of joy and his pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). 




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