Heavenly Joy!
"You will show me the path of life; in Your
presence is fullness of joy; at Your right
hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 16: 11
Everyone has a special place or environment they know will
bring them joy. Perhaps it's in nature, a waterfall or mountain
vista. It may be the weekly worship service at church.
For grandparents, it may be a few hours of adventure with
a treasured grandchild. The anticipation of such pleasure
heightens the experience once it finally arrives.
The psalmist, David, anticipated the “fullness of joy” in God’s
presence “pleasures forevermore.” He looked forward to the
eternal pleasure of experiencing God’s presence, what we
would refer to, from a New Testament view, as heaven.
Not evident in the English translation of Psalm 16:11 is the fact
that the word “joy” is plural in Hebrew, this plural form occurs in
Psalm 45:15. The plural form intensifies joy David anticipated:
absolute joy, various joys, or intense joy.
This was no idle or casual expectation on his part;
he was absolutely looking forward to multifaceted
joy of dwelling in God’s presence forever.
Such anticipation comes from knowing God now.
The deeper we know Him now, the more we will
anticipate the joy of dwelling in His presence.
"One hour in heaven and we shall be
ashamed that we ever grumbled."
Vance Havner
