“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” ( John 15:11 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and `that' your joy may be made full. )

God is absolutely sovereign.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” ( Psalms 115:3 3 But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he pleased. ).

Therefore, he is not frustrated. He rejoices in all his works when he contemplates them as colors of the magnificent mosaic of redemptive history. He is an unshakably happy God.

His happiness is foundationally the delight he has in himself. Before creation, he rejoiced in the image of his glory in the person of his Son — his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased ( Matthew 3:17 17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ). Then the joy of God “went public” in the works of creation and redemption.

These works delight the heart of God because they reflect his glory. The heavens are telling the glory of God ( Psalms 19:1 Chapter 19 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork. ). “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works” ( Psalms 104:31 31 Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever; Let Jehovah rejoice in his works: ). He does everything he does to preserve and display that glory, for in this his soul rejoices.

All the works of God culminate in the praises of his redeemed people. “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” ( Psalms 150:2 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. ). The climax of his happiness is the delight he takes in the echoes of his excellence in the praises of the saints. “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” ( Psalms 147:10 10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man. –11).

But our praise is not only God’s delight, as an echo of his excellence; it is also the apex of our joy. Praise is the consummation of the joy we have in seeing and savoring the greatness of God.

Therefore, God’s pursuit of praise from us and our pursuit of pleasure in him are the same pursuit. This is the great outcome of the gospel of the glory of the grace of God in Christ!