Happiness

“And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ Is anything to difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”” – Genesis 18:13, 14

When difficulties beset us, we tend to try and work our way out of them (on our own) until a situation comes along that we can’t handle or is too hard and we just give up and lose hope. Sarah is an example of this. They were promised a child and when that promise wasn’t being fulfilled quick enough she tried to take matter into her own hands by offering her maid Hagar as a way to obtain that child (Gen. 16:1-2). She couldn’t wait for the promise from God, putting trust in Him, and wanted to trust in what she could do.

To add a little more context, this promise was given when Abraham and Sarah, his wife, were both well on in years. Abraham was about 100 and Sarah about 90. Past the point of childbearing as is mentioned in Genesis 18:11. So, this would come across as a ridiculous promise to any normal person, which is what led to Sarah’s laughter.

Like Sarah, we look at what we understand about how the world works and go off of that knowledge. Sarah knew children were out of the question for her body at that age and all of us would agree that to be true. We are not here to deny how the world works. What we have to do is push past those things to the one who made the world! God created all things and governs all things. Just because something doesn’t work regularly for us, doesn’t mean that God can not dictate a change in that normal process.

Though some things in life seem too difficult for us, nothing is too hard for God. Sometimes He does His most amazing work when all hope seems gone. He gives hope when all seems hopeless. He fills us with peace when we’re in the middle of chaos. He saves the souls of people who deserve death. He makes the impossible possible. Think about the hard times; the last second, the darkest hour, the deepest hole. They are “mission impossible” for us. Trust Him with your hard times. Every one of them is “mission possible” for Him.

God has never promised that there wouldn’t be difficulties in our lives. However, He will be there for us, helping us through if we let Him. Sometimes we sing a song called Trust and Obey. In the song we sing, “trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” God has promised and proven time and time again that nothing is too hard for Him! He now offers true happiness to all through His Son if we are willing to trust and obey.

There is something within the human heart that longs for personal happiness. Our American forefathers were searching for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” We want to smile, laugh, and have a good time. When others ask us how we are doing, we want to honestly say, “I’m doing great!”

Personal happiness is not wrong when placed in the proper context. As the wise man Solomon searched for the meaning of life, he did not rule out the importance of happiness: “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God” (Eccles. 5:19).

God is the Giver of all good gifts which bring us joy (James 1:17). The apostle Paul proclaimed God’s goodness to the people of Lystra: “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts14:17). Our trust and praise should be directed toward God, “who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17).

“God wants me to be happy” is a common statement made today by people who are wanting to excuse themselves from obeying the commands of God. However, is personal happiness our chief objective in life? The answer to this question is an emphatic “No!” If we seek only to make ourselves happy in the here and now, we will miss out on eternal joy. Self-centeredness makes us enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil. 3:17-21). Christ challenges us to lose our lives so that we can find true life. Personal happiness should never displace personal holiness, for “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

Jesus is the ultimate example of one who put aside self to please the Father and serve others. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). Jesus did not excuse himself form obeying the will of God. He sacrificed temporary happiness for holiness. His choices were made with eternal joy in mind. Let us have the attitude of Christ!

God does want you to be happy, but He also wants you to know exactly what true happiness is and where it comes from. It is not found in the things of this world that will disappear, but in God through Christ who are eternal. Don’t cast aside God or His opinions (teachings). Take them to heart if you want true happiness.

Promises of God – Nothing is too hard for Him!

“God Wants Me to Be Happy”