Lasting Joy

6 FEBRUARY

Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Proverbs 5:1-14

When God is reconciled to us, we have all things necessary for happiness. The phrase Thy presence (i.e., the countenance of God) may be understood both as God beholding us or our beholding God. The fatherly favor that God displays in looking upon us with a serene countenance precedes our joy and is the first cause of it. Yet this does not cheer us until, on our part, we behold it shining upon us.

David also uses this clause to distinctly express to whom those pleasures belong. God has in His hands such a full and overflowing abundance of pleasures that these pleasures are sufficient to replenish and satisfy the whole world. So why does a dismal and deadly darkness envelop the greater part of mankind? It can only be because God does not look upon all men equally with His friendly and fatherly countenance. And because He does not open the eyes of all men to seek joy in Him and nowhere else. 

Fullness of joy stands in contrast to the evanescent allurements of this transitory world. People who divert themselves with the miserable pleasures of the world will eventually find themselves unsatisfied, famished, and disappointed. People may excessively intoxicate and glut themselves with worldly pleasures, but instead of being satisfied, they will in time become wearied of them to the point of loathing.

The pleasures of this world will vanish like dreams. David says the only true and solid joy in which the minds of men may rest cannot be found anywhere else but in God. None but the faithful who are content with God's grace alone can be truly and perfectly happy.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: The pleasures of evil evaporate quickly and leave nothing but bitterness. So why are we so often lured by earthly things? Why do we look for happiness in ungodly entertainment? Do not be fooled by the promises of the world. Seek the joy that is pure and eternal.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Finding Peace

5 FEBRUARY

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Psalm 16:9

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Nehemiah 8:9-12

In this verse the psalmist commends the inestimable fruit of faith. Under the protection of God, we not only enjoy mental tranquility but also live with joy and cheer. The essential part of a happy life is tranquility of conscience and of mind, whereas there is no greater unhappiness than to be tossed with a multiplicity of cares and fears.

The ungodly, however intoxicated with the spirit of thoughtlessness or stupidity, do not experience true joy or serene mental peace; rather, terrible agitations often come upon them and trouble them to constrain them to awake from their lethargy. In short, calm rejoicing is the lot of the person who has learned to place confidence in God alone, and to commit his life and safety to God’s protection.

When encompassed with innumerable troubles, let us then be persuaded that the only remedy is to direct our eyes toward God. If we do this, faith will not only ease our minds but will also replenish us with fullness of joy. That is not without cause, for true believers not only have joy in the secret affection of their heart but also manifest it with the tongue in glorifying God as the one who protects them and secures their salvation.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: The Christian life is characterized by deep, true joy, even in the midst of affliction. Do you know this kind of faith? How does directing our eyes to God bring peace in any circumstance?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke