Should Christians always be happy? (With some more George Muller quotes)

 

 

 

 

I have been reading George Muller's exegesis of Deuteronomy 33: 26 - 29 this afternoon. ( from the book called, 'Can God be Trusted?' Published by Christian Focus Publications. )

Here is an excellent quote, " If we are unhappy the fault lies with ourselves. There is no reason why  we should not be happy children. Our Father loves us, and He will lead us safely through. Having such a Father it may well be said of us, 'happy art though oh Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency? (verse 29 below)  

These Israelites were happy because they had such a God. Look how He delivered them and saved them. It was He who delivered them from the Egyptians, who led them through the Red Sea, destroying the host of Pharaoh. It was He who led them through the wilderness, provided them with heavenly food and water from the rock, and finally led them into the land of promise. 

And remember that it is by Him that you and I are delivered from a worse power than Egypt: are delivered from greater enemies than the host of Egyptians and by Him we are led through the difficulties of this life. He is leading us until at length He will land us safely above. Ought we not to be happy, truly happy in the Lord? I ask you affectionately, is it so with you? Are you all happy Christians? You ought to be, if you will only look to Him. Trust Him with child like simplicity, and you will see how ready He is to help you and give blessing."  (unquote)

Perhaps this post would be better titled...How should Christians always find happiness? There are very real times of grief, testing and troubles, and yet if we are willing to patiently wait on our Lord in faith and trust, we will find happiness in looking to His face, in knowing His character....for it is only in knowing God that we can find true happiness! As Muller points our earlier in this book, God is our salvation by grace, He is our portion, our strength, our deliverer! Muller points out too that this passage was written at the time before the Israelites were safely in the promised land. Muller says, (quote) " Remember how God fought for them (Israel) time after time. How the sun stood still at the request of Joshua. How again, the elements from heaven fought for them; how stones were hailed from heaven upon the enemy. The hornets  were also by Jehovah used for the destruction of the enemies. In various ways Jehovah fought on their behalf, and showed His mighty power in leading His people to posses the land." (unquote) God is also the eternal God who stays the same forever. The God who saves Israel, saves us, cares for us and looks after us too.

Deuteronomy 33:

26 “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, 

who rides through the heavens to your help,

through the skies in his majesty.

27 The eternal God is your dwelling place,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

And he thrust out the enemy before you

and said, ‘Destroy.’

28 So Israel lived in safety,

Jacob lived alone,

in a land of grain and wine,

whose heavens drop down dew.

29 Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,

a people saved by the Lord,

the shield of your help,

and the sword of your triumph!

Your enemies shall come fawning to you,

and you shall tread upon their backs.”

Trails and Happiness

Recently a fellow blogger has had a real rough time.....how I love her precious thoughts as she triumphs over her circumstances or triumphs despite her circumstances! Here are some of her thoughts I would like to share with you, I have her permission to use this but have taken out the private information.




On Pruning:

Our story this year - .... - has been been one of continually thinking things can't possibly get any worse...and then watching them do just that.

Isn't it amazing just how much you *can* take ......? Even very, very ordinary women like me. And isn't it amazing how adversity *grows you up*?! I am not the same person I was a year ago. And I am truly thankful for that stretching. I feel a bit like an unruly vine that is getting a whole lot of pruning and tying. Wow, it hurts!! But I hope to be beautiful in the end.

I bought a new charm for my bracelet the other day...a little silver rocking chair. For me it symbolised myself in old age. Don't laugh but one day I hope to be a sweet, white-haired old woman, pearls of kind wisdom spilling from my lips. I want to be bright-eyed, light hearted and free from bitterness. I want people to be surprised if they hear the troubles we walked through because I seem just so....joyful.

I am determined to allow this trying time to grow me and not break me. To make something beautiful out of what looks like a terrible mess. For me *and* my family. The stuff that is happening is just stuff. It doesn't have to seep inside and poison me - or my kids. We can make choices about how we respond and who we become no matter how dreadful things become.

'But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.....'

2 Corinthians 4: 7-9




On Crying:

I think I have learned something really big .... the difference between tears or sorrow or rage - tears that I are good and healthy and needful to shed - and tears of self pity.

It seems to me that sorrowful tears ebb and flow. They wash over me and, yeah, leave me feeling a bit weak and washed out...but a little bit better too.

Self pity is different. Those tears feel more like a whirlpool. It's quite a nice feeling wallowing in them for a bit but I suspect that if I didn't speak sternly to myself and drag myself out, I could find myself sucked into a pit from which I could not escape.

I wonder if some of the bitter old women you meet were faced with terrible adversity and chose to hang around with self pity just a little too long. It terrifies me to think that if I didn't choose a different path, I might wake up one morning and no longer be able to choose to find a way out.

I believe I am making choices today that are forming the old woman I will be. I choose joy.



Happiness Parcels:

I've adopted a policy of squeezing joy out of every moment that I can. I smile at sunsets, smell jonquils, laugh uproariously at silly puns, stroke kittens, snuggle my simply gorgeous 4 year old, eat chocolate, read email jokes, sing, dance around the kitchen...anything that feeds my soul even a tiny bit. And when I feel too pressed down to pull myself out of a pit I'm in, I call a friend and, depending on my day, have a cry, a vent or just chat about *anything* but...

I've given up hoping for a whole morning out by myself...never mind a much needed holiday ALONE somewhere FAR AWAY. (I admit I quite like the idea someone suggested of getting the 'Coma Fairy' to put the whole family out for a week or so though.)

For the moment, those longer respites are an impossible dream. I've realised that for now I need to grab the little happiness parcels as they come. They are a gift I dare not refuse.