4th - 10th August 2025
FINDING HAPPINESS WITH GOD
True happiness is found in a relationship with God and obedience to His word rather than in worldly possessions or circumstances. How often have we heard ‘as long as they are happy’? God does not want us to be unhappy but, when we look at ourselves, what makes us happy? Are we looking in the right place for our happiness? Those of us who have a family want to spare them any unhappiness if possible and wish better for them than we had ourselves. If parents are still living, we want the best for them. Our families are most important to us and that extends to our friends and church family.
Written by Yvonne Hutton
MONDAY
The Bible says in Romans 5:2 – ‘Through Him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God’.
Philippians 4:4 repeats this – ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!’
Prayer: Please help me, Lord, to seek you early in the day and be guided in where I go, with whom I mix and what I say, that my love for you may be evident in all aspects of my life. At all times it is you who is glorified. Amen.
TUESDAY
Is joy the same as happiness? 1 Chronicles 16:27 says: ‘strength and joy are in His dwelling place.’ The angels told the shepherds: “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy … born to you this day in the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.”
That is where our joy and happiness is to begin. Any other type of happiness is artificial and won’t last. We came into this world with nothing and will leave with nothing. Where we lay our treasures, that’s where our hearts will be also. Joy is long lasting and happiness fleeting. Are they the same? What brings us great joy, real joy? It comes from God who has invaded us, conquered us and liberated us from eternal death and sadness.
Prayer: May we praise Him for who He is and not something manufactured but from the heart. Please help me to immerse myself completely in you today to bring you joy. Lord, I thank you that you are with me every second of the day, that I may be your witness. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
Are blessed and happy the same? They don’t have exactly the same meaning. Blessed has connotations of divine favour, more profound and deeper than happiness and endured through difficult times. Happiness refers to more of a fleeting emotion than to be blessed. Have we found favour with our Lord? He has bestowed many blessings completely underserved, making us bow our heads in thanksgiving. We are assured wherein we find ourselves.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for all that I have been truly blessed with; to know it has been given to me to be used that I might glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Never to take anything for granted. What a wonderful Saviour. Amen.
THURSDAY
In the Bible it says in Psalm 16:11: ‘You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’ And in Psalm 37:4: ‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you desires of your heart.’
So, seeking God in joy can give you fulfilment. The Bible says we are to love the Lord with all our heart, with all our mind and all our strength and our neighbour as ourselves. Then we will know true happiness, joy and blessedness. How committed are we to God? Is He always first in our lives before family, before any of our desires? How much of our time and finance does He receive?
Prayer: Please Lord, forgive me for the time given in my life to my ideas and so little time to yours. That is a powerful statement, loving you with all my heart, mind and strength. Just how short am I of this? Can I know true happiness? Can God be blessed through me today? May I be forgiven in my neglect of you and I marvel that you are such a merciful God. Amen.
FRIDAY
Happiness is very much tied up with love. We cannot reach out to others to introduce them to our Saviour unless we have His love within us.
John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ We are instructed to ‘love one another as I have loved you’.
1 Corinthians 16:14 ‘Let all that you do be done in love.’
When experiencing God’s love we have a strong feeling of happiness. All of us would love to be loved. God’s love is unconditional, unending and unmistakable. We are loved by Him filling us with indescribable happiness.
John 15:9-10 says ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love … keep my commands.’ Giving you more joy far beyond any human relationship can give.
Now comes the hard bit; God has taken us a step further for we are to love our enemies. We are all His creation but sadly Satan in his cunning ways draws men from God. He created all in His image. We may not like some people, but we are to love them and forgive them as God forgives us. How can we be happy if we harbour a grudge against another?
Prayer: Lord, help me to see the helpless sinner that I am. I need you every hour to forgive and restore me, in order that I may have an inner peace and joy as I reach out to others who have turned their back on you. Lord, may others see you in me, that you are foremost. Amen.
SATURDAY
Happiness is a positive emotion. We have positive emotions not relying on circumstances. God gives us a sense of well-being but there is another emotion tied into our happiness, that is forgiveness. Again, we cannot experience true happiness if we have an unforgiving spirit. We become offended all too easily or our feelings are badly hurt. Someone we love may have been physically attacked or killed – is our first thought ‘we’ll never forgive them’? Or do we realise that they may not have Jesus as their Saviour and he will help us to say, as He did on the cross, ‘forgive them for they know not what they do.’ We need to call upon God’s strength to enable us. There is never a day that we do not sin in word, thought or deed, sin is not categorised. We put sin in slots, but God says sin is sin if it is against Him. It is humbling to say, ‘God has forgiven me, giving me peace, joy and happiness.’
Prayer: Please Lord, may I have it in my heart to forgive those who have wronged me. Help me not to judge, that is God’s prerogative. You give us inner happiness when we aspire to be more like Jesus. Lord, help us to walk a life worthy of your name until you call us home. Amen.
SUNDAY
Happiness, joy and blessed do not come as of right. We have never once been promised, unlike the world believes, that we are born to be happy. It has been said ‘we deserve to be happy.’ Truth to tell, we are worthless without Jesus. All our righteousness is as filthy rags, but He has washed us whiter than snow when we repent, giving us a confident joy in our heart. No worldly joy or happiness comes anywhere near this type of joy because of Jesus. He is our Saviour, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, our cup will be full and running over.
Prayer: Lord, please keep my eyes on you. Do not let me be swayed by seemingly authoritative propaganda. I pray that I, my family and friends may trust Jesus fully. I thank you, God, for The Manual above all manuals that you have given us to guide and help us to aspire to be more like you. May I love to read, learn and inwardly digest your Word, as fresh today as it was when written. Thank you, God, for your Word. Thank you for seeing something in us, worthy to be called your sons and daughters, with all our flaws. Nothing can take away that inner joy, especially during rough times. Help each of us to be true witnesses for you. Amen.