Does God put any limits on our joy? Not in the long run.
The reason for this is that our joy is in God, and he is infinite. The Westminster Shorter Catechism describes God as
…infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.
This list strikes me like a “blazon” in one of the old poems. A blazon is where the poet lists the individual beauties of the woman he adores – everything from her beautifully expressive eyebrows to her… ahem… well. As a poet lists the perfections of his beloved, so the writers of this dusty theological text, I think, were rather smitten with God when they listed just some of his beauties, and I’m sure they knew they weren’t finished. That is just a hint of what he is. They hadn’t even started on what he’s done.
When immortal souls (that’s you and me) are reconciled to an infinite, eternal and unchangeable God, then there is no limit to how happy they can eventually be.
This world is not one great experience of joy, however. We may get occasional glimpses, a drop of sweetness on the tongue from time to time, but our capacity to enjoy God in this world has what science calls “rate-limiting factors”. We don’t have the physical, emotional or mental bandwidth to enjoy God as he could be enjoyed – we’re often distracted, our minds and bodies are often sick, and our souls always a little benighted one way or another.
Still, there God is, waiting for us, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. He’s ready and willing to be enjoyed forever.
So our suffering is limited, but our joy is not. I’m very glad it’s that way around.