Don't Worry, Be Happy. That's an Order.

In my last post, I wrote I was troubled but happy; how is that possible? It is quite an oxymoron. I want to talk about happiness. We all want to be satisfied, but did you know God commands us to be happy? God commands us to be happy, and God, through scripture, shows us the path to happiness. Many would argue that you cannot command an emotion; you can only command actions. “Read your Bible” is a command. You can carry out this command. How can you carry out that command if I command you to be sad?

The issue is that God is giving us the command, not a human. God says, “You shall not covet.” That is a command, and we work to carry it out. “I want that thing over there; I want it with all my might,” God says; stop that; you are coveting. We listen to God and put our minds elsewhere.

God Commands

The commands of God regarding joy are all through the Bible. First, look at Psalm 16:11 ESV, where David writes, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This passage tells us that God makes known to us unending pleasures in Him, and He is the path. He is not talking about one hundred years of pleasure. No, these pleasures are forever more. I don’t want one hundred years of happiness; I desire the pleasures of God that last longer than 800 trillion years; you should want that too.

Right or Wrong?

Many people would say it is wrong to seek pleasure; we should seek obedience. I counter that with it is God’s command we pursue happiness. It is written throughout the Bible; therefore, seeking happiness is not a suggestion. In Psalm 37:4, David writes, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Being joyful in the Lord is not a suggestion; God commands it. David again writes in Psalm 32:11 ESV, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Again, shout for joy; this a command. So, God commands us to be happy in the Lord.

We, Gotta, Have Faith!!!

We find our happiness by living our lives through our faith and worship in Him. God commands us to do a lot of things. I think obedience is a primary command of God, and in obedience, the subcategories fall in place, happiness, peace, satisfaction, and all the things we want to feel in our lives. Our feeling of security comes from the totality of all these subcategories He fulfills. God’s fulfillment is why even though we may be troubled in our hearts, we feel happy because we know the Lord is carrying us in these troubled times. In Psalm 23, David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3 ESV). Our faith in God allows us to rest in Him, which God commands. God leads us through his serenity and grace and restores us in times of trouble. We exist under the sovereignty of God. His plan for us is for His glory. Be happy in your work and every breath you take because God breathes his grace and mercy into your lungs every single minute of every day. Shalom Aleichem! Peace!