YA: Glad

What makes your heart glad?

Chubby baby cheeks, a warm beverage on a cold day, giggles that have a mind of their own, a hike in the woods, fresh air, petting my labradoodle, eating at a restaurant who cleans up after me, and a day with zero things on the calendar…these are just a few things which make my heart glad.

Then, life comes in and gladness zips away. I feel like I could almost catch it as it whips out the window, on a cold winter’s day, but instead, the sensation of contentment and happiness I associate with gladness, with big, bold smiles, and swelling heartstrings is a lightening flash, here and gone.

God’s gladness is different. When God gives gladness, through His Word and through His Spirit, it stays. It can grow, expand, and swell among us, but it’s going nowhere any time soon. It’s here…for, well, eternity.

Even more worthy of all gladness is to know what makes God glad.

Psalm 46:4 tells us:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.

In introducing my youth group to this verse, I zeroed in on a simple question:

Where does God dwell?

Not in temples made from human hands…but He chooses to dwell in you and in me.

God isn’t contained by us, but He is glad to reside in us. He brings His streams of living water to us in baptism, and the Spirit rushes in.

So, you. You make God glad.

Your face.

Your voice.

Your soul.

Put those things together with a whole body of souls and faces jumping into the invitation to be in relationship with Him and wow – there we have it – the People of God, the City of God.

Want to hear more on this great, big theological ball of gladness? Check out the latest episode of our podcast, part of our YA series on Psalm 46 - YA: Glad.

Find all the episodes of the Psalm 46 series on our YA page.