I have erroneously assumed that God created humankind to have man love, praise, and serve Him. But I can now see that is not true. The idea of Him creating something or someone that would bring Him love would infringe the fact that God is perfect and therefore would need nothing, including our devotion. John Piper writes that “the impulse to create the world was not from weakness, as though God were lacking in some perfection that creation could supply”. Johnathan Edwards wrote: “It is no argument of the emptiness or deficiency of a fountain, that it is inclined to overflow.” God did not create man to get anything by doing so. How might that strike you? So why would a fully satisfied God create humankind who would bring Him so much pain?
It is illuminating when the Bible says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4, ESV). But can we take just a single verse and have a complete picture of all the truth the Bible teaches? Never! Looking deeper into the Bible, we find it also reads: Then God said, “Let us (plural) make man in our (plural) image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26a, ESV). This reveals more about the Bible God. This verse means God is not a single being but exists in multiple parts. I found another Bible verse that adds clarity about God in Jesus’ words to His disciples. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, ESV) Here we discover God exists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Another verse that adds insight into God is in the Son’s (Jesus’) prayer to His Father. How might this relate to the question, why would a completely satisfied God create humankind who would bring Him so much pain?
Jesus, the Son, said “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy (John 17:13, NLT2). Who receives this joy? It is not God nor His Son. The Son is giving joy, not receiving it. Jesus prayed, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17:20-21, ESV).
Why, then, did God create you and me? When one loves deeply, he/she wants to give generously. God did not create us to GET joy, but to GIVE. What do we receive? We receive the unbelievable privilege of becoming one in love and unity with the triune Godhead. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have such mutual love, it is evident in how they think and live. It is like they dance as One. Try to imagine this. Christ has made it possible for you and me to become one with Them and dance with Them in their impeccable love, ecstasy, truth, righteousness, and all that makes Them divine. Let that fill your mind, emotions, and inner being!
We were created to satisfy our deepest thirst for life, love, and pleasure as we orbit our life around Him—NOT in trying to get others, or our circumstances, to orbit around what we think makes us feel good. When you and I glorify God by centering our entire life around Him; then each of us will step into the dance for which we were created.
Are you finding your greatest pleasure in dancing with God? If not, what have you been allowing to keep you from that ultimate pleasure? What attitude, habit, mindset might you need to adjust so you can enjoy dancing with the Godhead? Why not start to identify what adjustments need to be made today so you can live the best life possible for the rest of your earthly life?