You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

~Psalm 16:11 NLT

As I walked to the front door, his expression revealed the joy in his heart. Happy to see you was written all over his face.

My wife and I were once privileged to keep three of our grandsons. The middle one was almost one, and he was still learning to balance as he walked and now tried to run. When I came home from work each day, he met me at the front door with a huge smile and waving arms. If I didn’t pick him up immediately, he would cry. However, his older brother was content to continue watching television or doing whatever he was doing.

The psalmist found joy in God’s company presently and looked forward to experiencing the same joy throughout eternity.

So often, we tie our happiness in God’s presence to something He has done for us. God promises to supply our needs, and when He comes through, we experience joy. But if He doesn’t provide them as we anticipate or think He should, our happiness is tainted—or even absent. Our goal should be to reach the pinnacle of finding joy in God’s presence, regardless of our circumstances. Additionally, we should relish the relationship itself, even if frills don’t exist.

If we’re not careful, the passage of time and busyness can steal our first love for God. My excited grandson’s older brother also once ran to the door to meet me. But age and interest in other things have curtailed his excitement over seeing Pop.

The excited grandson loved for me to stroll him when I first got home. Although he possessed a limited vocabulary, he had ways of letting me know what he wanted. Neither can we have a normal verbal conversation with God, but if we look for joy in His presence, His spirit will speak to ours, and we’ll eventually find joy from simply being in His presence.

Learn to discover your peace and joy in the presence of God.

Father, may Your presence in my life be enough to bring me joy.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2025: Happy to See You: Martin Wiles: All Rights Reserved