I Just Want to be Happy
What would it take for you to be truly happy?
Verse of the Day
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Today’s Devotional
Do you consider yourself a naturally hopeful person? Or are you cynical and pessimistic? I have always considered myself to be more hopeful than pessimistic, but I’ve credited that to my naive nature about the potential motives of others. I assume the best in others. While at the same time, I tend to assume the worst about myself.
Neither of those things – assuming the best in others and the worst about myself- are Spirit led. I need to spend lots of time in Scripture to confirm the identity that the Bible says is mine to claim. Also need to have God-given wisdom and discernment with others. The truth is that not everyone is following Jesus.
But if God is my source of hope, then I can rest in what He says about me in his Word. I can also learn to have more wisdom, love and acceptance of others when I spend more time with Him and listen for His direction in each situation. These are some of the many benefits of practicing solitude.
And IF I lean on God as my source of hope, it will lead me to trust him. With everything. And the more I trust him, the more joy and peace I will have.
I hear a lot of people say, “I just want to be happy.” But I don’t really think that is true. I think people really want peace and joy. We all want to know that we will be ok, no matter what happens. Which is peace. And we want a sense of well being in our hearts. Which is joy.
Humans get so many things backwards. We think that if we could just get “X”, then we would be happy. If I could only lose weight. If only that person in my life would change. If I could just get a better job. If I just had more money. If I could just have a few more friends. But if we remain apart from the Father, we will never be happy. Even if all of those things happen.
If I can truly put God first in my life, the rest falls into perspective. My job may or may not change, but my outlook on my work will certainly shift. My friend group may not grow, but God may lead me into deeper and more fulfilling relationships with the people that I already love, by showing me how to love them better.
I trust God. But when something feels incredibly uncertain, I have to remind myself of that trust and His sovereign control about every minute. Or at least as often as my brain goes into worry.
But Scripture is clear. The more I trust, the more peace and joy I will have in my life. Which is something I’d really like to have. Happiness is fleeting and circumstantial. The joy of the Lord is eternal. May He fill us completely with His joy today as we sit at His feet in silence.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What is something in your life today that keeps sending you into worry?
What would it look like in your life if you completely trusted God in that specific situation?
Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you today with the confident hope that God is in control. Every time your brain starts to worry today, remind yourself that God alone is your source of hope, peace, and joy.