God As Wholly Pleasurable—And The Greatest “Good News”

Caedmon’s Call has blessed me tremendously during my drive to and from school (or work). Their songs are rich with substantial doctrinal content and filled with humility. One such song titled “You Created,” is perhaps my favorite in that it strikes the core of our eternal need and purpose. Here are the lyrics:

Who is like unto the Lord our God
Who dwelleth on high, Who dwelleth on high
Who is like unto the Lord our God
Who dwelleth on high, Who dwelleth on high

You dwell in glory
The heavens are Your home
You began the story
And made Your beauty known

But You created nothing
That gives me more pleasure than You
And You won't give me something
That gives me more pleasure than You

You hung the planets
In Your image You made man
I'm overcome and broken
At the wonders of Your hand

But You created nothing
That gives me more pleasure than You
And You won't give me something
That gives me more pleasure than You

This song became particularly meaningful to me as I read through John Piper’s God is the Gospel. His basic thrust is that the ultimate “good news” of Jesus’ death is not ultimately that he was punished for us so that we can avoid wrath. It’s not even that in Christ we can be in a place called heaven with our loved ones and no tears, etc. Rather, the greatest good news is that through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can be reconciled to God. Escaping wrath is good, and so are the blessings of heaven, but what makes the gospel (and even heaven) so indescribably glorious is that in Christ, the barrier of sin is taken away so that we can enjoy God forever—“In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Piper explains it this way:

My point in this book is that all the saving events and all the saving blessings of the gospel are means of getting obstacles out of the way so that we might know and enjoy God most fully. Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him. If we believe all these things have happened to us, but do not embrace them for the sake of getting to God, they have not happened to us. Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It’s a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don’t want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel. (Pg. 47)

So we must ask ourselves, what are we looking forward to in the next life? Would we be happy if we had all the blessings of heaven with no God? The Psalms bear witness that King David would. He understood that there is nothing satisfying to go after in this world except for God Himself. For example:

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8)

“Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:20-22)

“May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!” (Psalm 67:1-3)

May God give us the grace to take hold of eternal life, even now, by knowing God more fully. For “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). May we treasure Jesus like the man who found a treasure in a field and covered it up, “then in his joy he goes and sells everything and buys that field” (Matt. 13:44). May we get our eyes off ourselves and our fleshly desires so that we might see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). For it is only within this heart before God, cherishing Him as most pleasurable, that we will be most satisfied and He will be most glorified.

You created nothing
That gives me more pleasure than You
And You won't give me something
That gives me more pleasure than You