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Strength in Balance
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?—Ecclesiastes 2:24–25 (NIV)
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.—JAMES 5:13 NIV
Humanity’s formula for happiness is vastly different from God’s. We most often live to please ourselves, and when things don’t go our way, we grumble. The Lord wants us to live for Him. And whether we’re happy or sad, He longs for us to lift our voices in praise.
So what is God’s formula for happiness? Prayer and praise. Sounds simple, right? Not necessarily. Imagine that you’re in the throes of caring for someone who doesn’t seem to be improving. You’ve cried out to God, but silence on His end has you boggled. So you stop praying. You stop asking. You give up. Oh sure, you still offer up some basic, generic prayers. But praise? No way.
God longs for us to keep on knocking, keep on seeking. When you’re going through rough times, slip into your prayer closet and spend time with your heavenly Father—praying and praising. When you’re faced with times of silence from God, don’t take it as apathy on His part. While you’re waiting, continue in a hopeful mind-set of prayer and praise.
Lord, I don’t like to wait. And it’s hard for me to imagine praying and praising my way through a situation when I don’t have the answer yet. Help me to learn Your formula for happiness. Teach me to wait patiently…hopefully.
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?—Ecclesiastes 2:24–25 (NIV)
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven.—Acts 9:3 (KJV)
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.—Psalm 29:11 (NIV)
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