Recently I was reading a book by a popular Christian astrophysicist discussing how everything from the vast components of the universe to the features of our planet demonstrate fine-tuning to support advanced life. The book was filled with times, distances and masses of immense values — billions of years, millions of light years, billions of solar masses, and other measurements that far exceed my understanding. My takeaway is that the universe is marvelous and tremendously awe-inspiring.

Soon after reading that book I listened to Dallas Willard’s final lectures before his passing in 2013. He made the following statement:

“Creation was an act of joy, of delight in the goodness of what was done.”

That stopped me and I had to rewind and listen again and again and again.

This immense universe — the one I had been reading about and was overwhelmed by its sheer size — its creation and ongoing growth is an act of sheer joy and delight.

Theologically, I’ve always viewed the cosmos’ creation as an act of power, not an act of joy.

Joy. Such a small word. Frankly it’s never been a significant part of my spiritual journey. This is probably due to the fact that I’ve often defined it as an enhanced version of the fleeting emotion of “happiness,” even though intellectually I know joy is not primarily an emotion.

So I’ve been reflecting on joy as part of who God is. Here’s another quote by Willard from his book, The Divine Conspiracy:

“Central to the understanding and proclamation of the Christian gospel today, as in Jesus’ day, is a re-visioning of what God’s own life is like and how the physical cosmos fits into it. . . . We should, to begin with, think that God leads a very interesting life, and that he is full of joy. Undoubtedly he is the most joyous being in the universe. The abundance of his love and generosity is inseparable from his infinite joy. All the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth and richness.”

Read that again. “Undoubtedly, he [God] is the most joyous being in the universe.” My head struggles with the idea of God being the happiest being in the universe and that the moment he created the universe wasn’t an exertion of power as much as it was a moment of sheer joy.

Willard defines joy as “the sense of pervasive well-being.” Everything, from every quark to every galaxy cluster, is permeated with the sense of well-being. Everything is well and good. Everything is easily held together by God’s activity and Word. God isn’t sweating or struggling to keep everything moving properly. Creating and holding together the universe is such a small part of God’s activity.

And God’s “abundance of love and generosity is inseparable from his infinite joy.” Infinite joy. Infinite well-being. And God’s love and generosity is inseparable from that infinite well-being. 

No wonder Jesus could say, ““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

We are surrounded by God’s infinite joy, his infinite well-being. We are completely safe in him. This doesn’t mean that sorrow, loss or tragedy won’t touch us. But it does mean that even in the midst of such darkness, we are still surrounded by God’s infinite well-being. We are safe and well in the pain, in the loss, and even in death.

The universe’s age is currently measured at 13.8 billion years old. And all of that time was used to prepare the universe and earth to support humans, who are created in God’s image and have an incredibly unique eternal purpose in God’s kingdom. And those billions of years are just a drop in infinity. What we experience in our short 80-90 years, God willing, is nothing compared to the billions upon billions of years and beyond that we will experience in a universe renewed and filled with God’s glorious presence and infinite well-being, love and generosity.

We really are safe in God’s good world!

That’s why Paul could write abundant encouragement like this passage:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:4-6

Notice the progression from joy to the awareness of God’s intimate presence, to the encouragement to stop being anxious, then to prayer and thanksgiving, and then to transcendent peace.

Or another passage from Paul:

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Again notice the similar progression. Joy moves to prayer, which then moves to thanksgiving.

Or take the list of spiritual fruit, the very character of God being formed in us:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” Galatians 5:22

Notice the progression — love flows to joy, joy then flows to peace.

Throughout the New Testament, there are similar, though not exact, progressions that incorporate love, joy, prayer, thanksgiving and peace. But joy is usually in the midst of the progression. As Willard said, “The abundance of his [God’s] love and generosity is inseparable from his infinite joy.”

Joy. Such a small word. But it is more immense than our universe because it is as infinite as the God from whom it springs.