Am I enjoying God? Joy as gospel authenticity
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12)
David prayed that after facing his sin, not instead of it. That’s the road I’ve been walking lately. It started with Isaiah’s “Woe is me” and moved towards wanting people to know God’s love with nothing filtering it. Somewhere along that road I had to ask myself an honest question. Am I asking for a joy I’ve lost, or one I’ve never quite let myself have?
The reading: Lewis Allen, The Preacher’s Catechism, Q2 “Enjoying God” (ch. 2)
God loves a cheerful preacher. Our ever-blessed, ever-joyful God wants to be proclaimed by those who are brimful of the joy his grace in Christ brings. He calls us to delight in him and, out of that joy, to call others to the feast. Preacher and sermon must be filled with gospel joy. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isa. 12:3). Preachers who taste, teach, and share the joy of the gospel are truly fulfilling their calling as they serve those who listen.
A few lines later in the same chapter, Allen says: “Joy is gospel authenticity.” He also describes his own heart in busy seasons: “like a wind tunnel, with prayers and sermon prep all focused on the needs of others rushing through it.”
Alongside it
- Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, ch. 1: “the goal of preaching is the glory of God reflected in the glad submission of the human heart.”
- Keller, Preaching, Prologue: “You should be something like a clear glass through which people can see a gospel-changed soul in such a way that they want it too, and so that they get a sense of God’s presence as well.”
- Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, ch. 12, on preachers in a season of revival: “out of the fullness of their hearts and their Christian joy, and their love to the Lord, they spoke without any difficulty or restraint.”
Why it matters
If we want people to enjoy God’s love unfiltered, Allen is saying the preacher is part of that filter. People don’t only hear what we say about grace. They also see whether it’s landing in us. Joy here doesn’t mean a sunny personality or a good week. It’s the evidence that the gospel has actually reached the messenger. Allen also names ministry itself as one of joy’s greatest opponents, which is worth sitting with.
For us
Most of us know how a teacher’s manner can open a subject up or close it down. Keller’s “clear glass” is about that, but at heart level. If grace and joy have gone quiet in our preaching lately, it might be about the sermons, or it might be about the week behind them. Only we can tell which, and it’s fine if it’s a bit of both.