March 19, 2014 Psalm 128
Wednesday Ezekiel 36:22-32
John 7:53—8:11
What
makes you happy? Many people would
say that they think they would be happy if only they could win the lottery, or
get a huge raise or new job, or have their children behave a certain way.
“Doesn’t take much to make me happy,” so some folks say.
But
how do the above examples of happiness compare to that here in Psalm 128? Does
God really want us to be happy? No ‘name-it, claim-it prosperity Gospel’ for
me!
Back
in the fall I looked death more squarely in the face than I ever had before.
Yes, I had doubts. Yes, I had questions. And, yes, embarrassingly, I was not
always in the best mood nor was I always overly considerate of others around
me. Living was tough! With such
labored breathing, where was the fruit of that labor? How could I possibly be
“happy” at such a time as that?
Pondering
Psalm 128 has offered me at least a partial answer. I know that there is a
difference in essence between the “happiness” we feel in the examples above
versus the inner happiness we are aware of that comes from God when we “fear the
Lord” and “walk in his ways.”
Happiness
of this kind does not mean always having to wear a smile, not always having to
appear to have it all together, nor never being selfish. Rather, it is a
happiness that we experience deep within. It may show often on the outside, but
need not always do so. It is a happiness of the kind that stands tall even when
we stumble. It holds together when we ourselves cannot. Real happiness is when
we know everything will be okay, because we trust God in all of our life’s circumstances,
for better and for worse.
Lord,
help us rest more fully in you and love both you and our neighbor more fully!
Amen.
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