“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
August 1, 2022
Are you a happy person? What I really mean is, with more theological exactness, is your life as a Christian characterized by abiding joy? Joy is the God-given delight in His goodness. It does not depend on circumstances because it is a satisfaction with God’s sovereign control of all things. The Holy Spirit produces it as God’s commandments are obeyed (1 Thess. 5:16, “rejoice always”). The fact that it is commanded tells us that joy is more than an involuntary emotion. It is a choice. Simply put, it is holy optimism. Jonathan Edwards ties a theological ribbon around joy: “The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which God is magnified and exalted.” With all this said, it is a strange thing that Christians are miserable so often. Why is this? The sinfully intoxicating power of self-pity is one reason. We too often listen to ourselves saying/thinking the wrong things. Another reason for joyless living is because we don’t exercise (That’s right. We sit and stay inside too much) and chew on our disappointments which metastasize into bitterness. Also, Christians can live with a lack of assurance of their salvation, by unconfessed sin and grieving the Holy Spirit. Habakkuk was an amazing prophet. He knew that awful times were coming upon Israel and yet he said, “I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:18). Carry this thought around in your head. Rejoicing in God is faith delighting in the promises of God. Faith triumphs over fear when we live by the understanding that God’s justice trumps human injustice. God has planned the best for His children as they wait on Him. That makes me happy! H