Lookin' Good!

When I got up this morning a little before 5:00 to take the dog out… he had gotten up on the bed and was staring me in the face… I was feeling kind of out-of-sorts.  I hadn’t been sleeping well, seemed to repeatedly have the same unsettling dream, and was waking up every hour since around 12:30.  I wasn’t necessarily upset, but a little confused, un-focused and just plain old blah!

It had been raining most of the night, but seemed to have paused at that particular moment.  So, I slipped on my shoes, grabbed a jacket and took Fiver outside.  He was pretty good about it and quickly took care of his business and we returned into the living room.  Once back in the bedroom (after drying his feet), I gave Fiver a treat and picked up my Bible and read in a personalized way, from Proverbs 3:5 where the Psalmist declared:

“No matter what is going on, no matter how I may feel, I choose to trust in the Lord completely, and to not rely on my own opinions. But with all my heart to rely on Him to guide me, for I know that He will always lead me in every decision I need to make.” (TPT)

I didn’t feel much different at that point, so I laid down on top of the bed and began to pray quietly.  After a while, I found myself speaking out JOY scriptures and discovered that I had a peace that seemed to have snuck up upon me as I prayed!  I even noticed that I had a slight grin on my face… that I must admit, felt pretty good!  So, I slipped under the covers and fell asleep.

When I awoke about an hour later, I still felt the peace and pulled back the covers, stepped out… careful not to step on the dog who was now patiently waiting next to the bed, threw on some clothes, dropped a pod in my new coffee maker and headed to the study!  Once my Bible study program opened up on my laptop, I did a word search on the words JOY for the older translations and HAPPY for the modern ones.

The first verse to catch my eye was Psalm 119:1-2 in The Passion Translation where the Psalmist writes “You’re only truly happy when you walk in total integrity, walking in the light of God’s word.  What joy overwhelms everyone who keeps the ways of God, those who seek him as their heart’s passion!”  I thought, “Well, that verse sort of described what happened to me earlier this morning.  When I turned my feelings over to the light of God’s Word, I received His JOY that in turn, caused me to become CHEERFUL and HAPPY!”

From there I went over to the end of the book of Romans, where Paul was summing up his letter to the church and declared, “I’m so happy when I think of you, because everyone knows the testimony of your deep commitment of faith…” (Romans 16:19 TPT)  And then to James 5:13 where the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem asks, “Are there any believers in your fellowship suffering great hardship and distress? Encourage them to pray! Are there happy, cheerful ones among you? Encourage them to sing out their praises!" (TPT)

After reading the last two verses, I leaned back in my comfy desk chair and could clearly see that both Paul and James were telling their readers that their JOY, CHEERFULNESS and HAPPINESS, which was derived from their deep faith in God and His Word, not only looked good on them, but was also very evident and/or visible to other people!

I got the sense that James was strongly suggesting that those in need, stop their complaining and go to the Lord in quiet, humble, sincere and faith-filled prayer, while to the HAPPY and CHEERFUL ones in the congregation, he strongly encourages to SING OUT their praises in order to build up everyone else!  In other words… people like to see and hear HAPPY, JOYFULL individuals, for I personally believe that God has given each of us an innate desire to be JOYFUL and HAPPY in this life… through the power of Him and His word.

So, as you live your life this weekend… I whole-heartedly encourage each of you to BE HAPPY and JOYFUL in all that you do.  And if you're having a difficult time getting there, like I did early this morning… turn to God’s Word and start reading and confessing His JOY and HAPPINESS scriptures over your day!

Take it from me… He’ll NEVER let you down! 

Have a great last weekend in April… and as you do, keep EXPECTING his best for you!