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“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Proverbs 15:13).
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
If you look at most people you meet today, and especially if they are not interacting with someone else at the time, often they do not appear very happy. I am writing this in April, 2022, and here in Canada it has been a very late spring, at least where we live. Some people are suffering from what is called “seasonal affective disorder,” which simply means that they get depressed and sad when it is cloudy and cold for a long time. (Notice the letters at the beginning of those three words: what do they spell?) Those people do not have the “merry heart” that makes a “cheerful countenance.”
For those of us who know the Lord, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, and He wants to give us continual joy from within. Yes, we all like a warm, sunny day, but we can be happy in the Lord even on a dull day. It is this kind of joy that makes others realize that our joy does not come from our circumstances or the weather, but rather from the enjoyment of Christ in our hearts. There are many out there who need the encouragement that you and I can give them. Philippians 4:4 is given more as a command than a suggestion, for God has given us everything to enable us to rejoice.
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