Do You Dare To Be Happy?

I think what sets Christians apart is that we dare to be happy. :) It comes from knowing that God is in control and that His plan is to bless and prosper us.

‘For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:11

‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ Romans 8:28

This does NOT mean things are always bright and rosy for Christians – on the contrary, many Christians are still beng persecuted on a daily basis – you can read more at The Voice of the Martyrs website. What it means is KNOWING that God knows and wills what is best for us, that His love drives Him to bless us and derive the best out of every situation for us. This also means being ready to accept God’s answer even when it differs from what we EXPECT, simply because we know His ways are higher and His will is to bless us. A good example is the prayer of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel’s buddies) when King Nebuchadnezzar was going to throw them into the furnace for refusing to bow down to the image of gold that he created.

‘If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." ‘ Daniel 3:17-18

On the surface, they seem to be totally confused – on one hand they profess faith that God CAN and WILL save them, but in the same breath they profess that EVEN IF God does not save them, they will not worship other gods (because of their love for God). But I believe that such is the crux of the Christian faith in prayer – we tell God the desires of our hearts, we trust that He CAN and WILL deliver us, but at the same time, we need to check our hearts that we will indeed accept whatever answer God gives us. This stems from the fact that our love must be for God and not for His blessings/provisions. Sometimes it is hard to fathom God’s thoughts – like why are there still babies that suffer from birth and die, and why there are tsunamis and earthquakes that kill thousands??? This is when we ask the Lord for His wisdom, to help us to understand why some of these things happen. And if it is beyond our hman capacity to understand this, it does not change the fact that we love Him, and that we dare to be happy in Him!

So do you dare to take the leap of faith, give up your hurts, questions, doubts and test our Lord by trusting Him and daring to be happy? Or are you content to hold on to your security blanket of logical thinking, past hurts, personal cleverness? Has any child ever refused to turn on the lights just because he/she cannot understand why flipping on a light switch will turn a dark room into a bright one? My challenge is that you give God a chance – He will astound you!

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:7-8(bold accents added by me – you have to try Him to know Him!)