The Happiest Place in the World

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11). Can fullness of joy be said to be found anywhere else in the world, except in the presence of the Lord? The presence of Christ then can be said to be the happiest place in all the world. How much time do we spend in the happiest place in all the world? If we truly want to be happy, shouldn't we spend more time here than anywhere else? Reading this verse the past week has been so convicting to me, as I've realized that I spend more time doing other things than indulging myself in the glory of the presence of the Lord. Yes, there is a sense in which we are always in the presence of the Lord, yet in another sense communing with Him, speaking to Him in prayer and allowing Him to speak back through His word in a quiet place, is specially called His presence. Similar to the way we would speak of being in the presence of a friend or loved one. It has always seemed to me that if I'm spending good time in His presence each day, that He just seems to take care of everything else. Yet if I forsake my time with Him for whatever reason, everything else likewise seems to fall apart. It's as if peace, joy, and strengthened faith are a fruit or result of His presence. His presence is the thing that makes us happy and grants us joy in all the other events of life! It exalts God for us to made so happy in His presence that we can't get enough of it. This is why heaven will be so sweet because we will never have to leave, but contiually be consumed with more and more joy! The Scripture says that if we seek first His kingdom and righteousness, that all these things (that we worry about) will be added unto us as well (Matt. 6:33). The Scripture also says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4), because our hearts in delighting in Him are becoming more conformed to His likeness. The promise of God to give us the desires of our hearts is only if our hearts are delighted in Him, which comes from being in His presence. The fruits of His presence are too many to count. So if you're noticing that things in your life seem to be out of control, may I recommend getting away to meet with the Lord. There is no one holy like the Lord and nothing holy-making and joy-filling like His presence. May we be made more happy in God by going often to the happiest place in all the world!