God Would Get His Glory and We Would Get Our Joy

So I've been a blogging slacker as of late. I have recently returned from Seattle where I was attending the Reformission Conference. Good stuff. Schedule has been a little thrown off though. I could write much about the city of Seattle and how cool it is--culture, coffee, mountains, city, ocean, etc. However, what is on my mind has to do with the "title" phrase that was spoken numerous times at this gathering. John Piper was the keynote speaker, and he was incredible. So passionate. So intelligent. So in love with Jesus. Actually this phrase wasn't so much spoken, as it was prayed before each meeting...God, would you get your glory and would we get our joy. Do I really get joy when God is glorified? According to Scripture I most definitely do. According to life, I would concur, though this may not seem logical. I was reminded that God is after his glory and his reknown. The greatest thing I can do with my life is to align myself with the Creator in this regard. Everything should bring glory to God. All of creation is singing the praises of God right now. Why don't I? I left this convention with many thoughts, hopefully some that I'll share in future blogs. But for now, I am appreciative of the reminder of what I am to chase after in this life. On a related aside, I have been reading through the Psalms. The glory of God is all over the place. David sings of it. David longs for it. David passionately pursues it. Yet, he experiences great pain and trial. This is life. God may I pursue your glory in the midst of the hurt of life. When there is a dull ache that lingers and a fog that can seem ever-present, will you glorify yourself in the midst of it all.