The Pursuit of Happiness

 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

– Isaiah 12:3

The world is reeling from a pandemic, millions are unemployed, the nation is divided politically, and inflation is on the rise. What’s more, the news headlines are both disturbing and depressing. Nevertheless, billions would be happy to trade places with us. That’s because even the poorest of the poor in America are considered rich (at least statistically) when compared with so much of humanity.

We understand that the concepts of wealth and poverty are relative because a dollar obviously stretches further in Montana than in Monte Carlo. But regardless of your address and the size of your bank account, money still can’t buy you happiness and joy. In fact, the Bible reveals that excessive wealth can be an obstacle to spiritual health. That's because of the temptation to rely on it rather than its ultimate source, God. Society, however, continues to spread a false narrative about riches, and it's even altered the definition of joy.

But true joy isn’t the reaction to something external, like a new car or a piece of jewelry. Instead, it’s an internal source of gladness and thanksgiving that reveals the true picture though the most difficult of circumstances. As Christ-followers, our relationship with Jesus grants us access to our Creator — a loving Father who hears our prayers and looks for ways to bless us. So no matter how bad things get in our lives, we already know that our ultimate story will end on a very positive note. Let’s consider the experience of the apostle Paul:

“Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,” he wrote in 2 Corinthians. “I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.”

That doesn’t sound like a happy, fun-filled experience. Yet Paul wrote that he was joyful.

When we have lives that are filled with joy, even the most unpleasant of circumstances can’t bring us down. Paul spent years in prison chained to his guards while under the constant threat of death. But he always prayed thankfully. And instead of feeling sorry for himself, he used the situation to change the lives of fellow prisoners and jailers alike — and all while writing much of what we today know as the New Testament. The lesson for modern-day Christ-followers like you and me is that we must habitually look for the good and dwell on the positive.

Yes, we are living in complicated, unprecedented times that can pull us down both physically and emotionally. But Paul’s advice to you and me is both simple and profound:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”