What Brings God Joy?

Joy comes in all shapes and sizes.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that bring us joy: a favorite food, a feel-good song or a fun activity. Maybe we find our joy in the company of family and friends, or in a good, meaningful career.

Does God feel joy?

God fashioned human beings in His own image (Genesis 1:26). This goes beyond physical resemblance. Scripture reveals that God experiences the same emotions that we do, including love, anger, grief and—indeed—joy.

A natural question follows: What brings God joy?

What gives God joy?

The Bible speaks often of joy, which is listed as one of the nine “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23 . However, most of the verses that mention joy have to do with human beings rather than God.

In many cases, God is the One who offers joy to humanity. Take, for example, John 16:20-22, where Jesus promises that the joy of His disciples can never be taken away from them. Likewise, in Psalm 51, King David’s repentant praise acknowledges the joy that accompanies the salvation that God supplies to those who obey Him (verse 12).

Far fewer examples turn the spotlight on God Himself. We’re faced with a mystery of sorts: What fills God with joy? What is it that could make the supreme Ruler of the universe so pleased?

As with any good mystery, the Bible leaves clues to help us answer this question.

Clue 1: Breaking chains

Zephaniah offers the first clue in tracking down one object of God’s joy. Here, we find an emotional prophecy, where God proclaims that He will ultimately deliver the children of Israel from their bondage.

In Zephaniah 3:17, the prophet depicts God in an interesting light as He reclaims His people: “He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

This is one of the most overt displays of emotion that we see from God in the Bible, as He comforts His people after a difficult ordeal. They will have seen disasters (verse 15), faced oppressors (verse 19) and even been taken captive by enemies (verse 20).

God takes delight in freeing people from their captivity (even if their bondage is a direct result of their own actions). Throughout the Bible, God gains a reputation as a breaker of chains, redeeming many people from their slavery (see Psalm 68:6; 146:7; Isaiah 61:1)

We’ll keep this in mind as we continue our investigation. There is a certain gladness that God derives from breaking the bonds of slavery and delivering people to freedom.

Clue 2: The “anti-joys”

In Isaiah 9:17, we learn several things that do not bring God joy: “Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men . . . for everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly.”

God takes joy in seeing His children repent and walk in righteousness. God takes no pleasure in the evil that so often occurs in the world, nor does He find any joy in hypocrisy, lies or folly. God’s way is one of righteousness, and it pains Him to see human beings rebel against it.

At this point, we have almost enough clues to piece together the object of God’s joy. He takes no pleasure in unrighteousness, but delights to see His children walking righteously (Psalm 37:23). God also loves freeing His children from bondage and leading them to something better. With one last scripture, the case is closed.

Mystery solved: God gets joy from . . .

What brings God joy?

God takes joy in seeing His children repent and walk in righteousness.

Freeing His children from the bondage of sin, showing them the way of righteousness and welcoming them into His family—these are all part of God’s master plan.

We see this expressed beautifully when Jesus spoke to His followers in Luke 15. There, He delivered a parable of a shepherd who goes out searching for one sheep that has lost its way. Though the shepherd has 99 other sheep safely in his pasture, he makes it his mission to recover the one lost sheep.

Jesus concludes with a moving lesson: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

He emphasizes this point in verse 10, saying, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

God rejoices when human beings recognize their sin, repent and devote themselves to living righteously. Scripture tells us that He wants all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

This is again portrayed in the parable of the prodigal son. In the story, a father, representing God the Father, reacts with jubilation when his rebellious son returns home. In Luke 15:32, the father in the parable joyfully proclaims to his other son, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (English Standard Version).

There is a reason that we call God our “Father.” He, like any parent, loves His children and wants to see them succeed. More than physical prosperity, God desires His children to have spiritual success. When a sinner repents and pledges to follow Him, God experiences the joy of a father whose son has returned home.

In fact, God desires this outcome so much that He “gave His only begotten Son” as a sacrifice to make it possible for us to have eternal life as part of His family (John 3:16). Jesus Christ endured the painful death of the cross because of the “joy that was set before Him,” knowing that His sacrifice would make salvation possible for all mankind (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The early pillars of the Church of God shared this sentiment. In 1 Thessalonians 2:18-20, Paul expressed his profound joy at the thought of seeing all those he’d worked with achieving eternal life at Christ’s return. “For you are our glory and joy,” he wrote in verse 20.

The apostle John felt similarly, writing, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).

Paul’s and John’s expressions of joy resemble God’s warm love seen throughout Scripture, as He frees His people from captivity to sin and shows them a better way to live.

How can you bring joy to God?

We’ve established that God finds joy in welcoming a repentant child into His eternal family. So, answering the question of how we can individually bring God joy should be very simple.

He gives His commandments and statutes so that, one day, His children can capitalize on the great opportunity to gain eternal life with Him as part of His Kingdom. The good news? It is simple.

The bad news? It isn’t always easy.

In Luke 15:7, we read that there is “joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.” The operative word in this verse is repents.

We are all sinners. No matter how righteously we may try to live, we all fall short of the lofty goal of perfectly following God’s commandments.

God gives us a way to return to a right relationship with Him: We must repent of our sins and aim to live righteously.

This isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it takes heavy sacrifices on our part. But it is always worth it.

God doesn’t tell us to repent because He likes bossing us around. Like a parent, He recognizes that some ways of living are ultimately bad for us. He then shows us a better way, one that will serve us well in the end. While He doesn’t choose this way of life for us, God takes great delight in seeing His children choosing correctly for themselves.

God also delights in the great blessings that come with living His way of life. He gives His commandments and statutes so that, one day, His children can capitalize on the great opportunity to gain eternal life with Him as part of His Kingdom.

If we are willing to dedicate ourselves to living the right way now, God takes pleasure in offering us great blessings in return, including the chance to share in His joy (Matthew 25:21).

To fill God with joy, one must let Him work in his or her life. We must repent of our sins—every time we fall short, not just once for all time. Then, we must dedicate every day to living God’s way of life.

Do you want to bring God joy?

If you want to live the kind of life that brings God joy, the best way to start is by looking deeply into His Word. By getting to know His commandments, you can learn to better live the life that God expects from His people.

For more on these laws, read our article “What Are the 10 Commandments?”

The next step involves repenting from our old ways. Repentance is the beginning of a process that involves a complete change in the way we live our lives. It leads to baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.

For more on repentance and how to get started, check out our article “What Is Repentance?”

You can live a life that brings joy to God’s heart. The answer to the mystery is laid out before you. Take the leap and fulfill God’s joy.