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Wait. There is a world of articles, books, and information out there when it comes to Christianity, but we are mostly stuck with rhetoric and double talk when it comes to our relationship with the Lord, our new identity as believers, and the security and finality of the work of Christ. Are you getting everything you need spiritually from your church? Or do you find yourself feeling hungry for more? Wake up. Join Lenny as he unpacks what Scripture really taught about our Lord Jesus Christ in context and why this matters to you. Wake up, wake up, wake up to grace. Wake up, wake up.

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Today I'll be exploring the question: does God want us to be happy? Many people define happiness in terms of health, wealth, relationships, and achievements, often feeling discouraged when these are lacking. But does God measure happiness by these standards? Or is his perspective on happiness fundamentally different? According to Merriam Webster, happiness can be defined as a state of well-being and contentment, joy. If happiness is defined as well-being and contentment, is it central to the Christian life? Does God want us to experience happiness because of our circumstances, or does he seek something deeper for us, especially in hardship? These questions get to the heart of what God desires for us, mere happiness or a deeper transformation of our inner selves. To address these questions, it helps to separate feelings from circumstances. Though often linked, feelings follow our thoughts. Perceiving pain prompts us to feel bad. Perceiving fear brings stress or anxiety. Worry may be overcome by trusting God with our future. However, there are times when suffering is certain, as Paul experienced with his thorn in the flesh. In such moments, the focus shifts to whether God wants people to feel happy despite struggles. Looking at how biblical figures handled emotions can help unravel this. Given the realities of suffering, it's important to ask not simply how we feel, but what God desires for us in those moments. Does he prioritize our temporal happiness or our growth and dependence on him through every season, leading to an everlasting joy? We can evaluate our emotions biblically by bringing them to God in prayer, asking for wisdom to understand what we're feeling. We can also compare our feelings with scriptural truths. For example, does this emotion align with the fruit of the Spirit, or is it leading us away from God's guidance? Seeking wise counsel from mature believers can further help us process our emotions and respond in ways that contribute to spiritual growth. We can learn much from Paul. He didn't teach a doctrine of feelings, but always based his teachings on facts. Yet he shared his emotions in his writings, showing us how to handle our own feelings. Let's look at Paul's responses for guidance. In the face of severe persecution and imprisonment, he records in 2 Corinthians 1 7, our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. Paul and his companions genuinely felt they had received a death sentence. This was a reasonable feeling. No human would think otherwise while being beaten with bladed whips. Their captors were not offering comfort. More likely they were saying, Sleep tight, we'll surely kill you in the morning. Despair is normal under torture. Even mild waiting room anxiety can cause despair. Imagine Paul and his companions shackled with open wounds in a filthy dungeon, enduring, without comfort, uncertain of release. We don't know how long they despaired. Paul instead focuses on the purpose, learning to rely not on themselves but on God. We also have the Lord's words revealing the reality of Paul's fears, as Luke records in Acts. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, Do not be afraid, but go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people. Paul was not fearless. He had to overcome real emotions to fulfill his mission. Paul was a living example of John's statement perfect love drives out fear. In concluding this statement, John wrote, Because fear has to do with punishment, John encourages the believers to stand confidently before the Lord in Christ. This becomes critical when facing tribulation. Paul was a reconciled man who knew God's love for him was perfect. Punishment from the Lord was not his fear. His fear likely stemmed from what we would today call PTSD, born from constant abuse and trauma. He writes about these things to the Corinthians, second Corinthians twenty four. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I was adrift at sea, on frequent journeys and danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure, and apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is made to fall and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. Paul's experiences reveal that human happiness is not guaranteed during suffering. Instead his example points us toward a deeper purpose. God's desire for us is to grow in faithfulness and reliance on him, even amidst trials. Paul ultimately boasted in the Lord's strength, showing that what matters most is our dependence on God, not fleeting happiness. There's great hope even when happiness feels absent. God's strength perfects our weakness, offering assurance of his presence and hardship. The main point our hope is anchored in God, not passing emotions, and this is what God ultimately desires for us, steadfast hope and faith in him. In light of Paul's experiences we see a powerful dynamic at play. During his days on earth, Satan displayed his power proudly, while God's servant Paul traveled in weakness, boasting only in the Lord. Ultimately it was Yahweh who proved most powerful, choosing to work through weak humanity. Second Corinthians four seven, Paul writes, but we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Despite considering himself the equivalent of a fragile jar of clay, Paul is so bold as to claim in Second Corinthians four, we are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. Paul does not forget about despairing for his life here. This passage demonstrates a critical insight. Despair did not define Paul, despite falling into it for a time. God's deliverance did. The main takeaway is that God's purpose goes beyond our emotional highs or lows. He seeks our transformation, an enduring reliance on him rather than mere happiness. With our Lord, despair is never the planned destination. It's always deliverance. 2 Corinthians 1 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. Another area where we can question Paul's words is regarding his view on anxiety. After listing numerous traumatic events, Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 11 28, and apart from other things, there is a daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. And then in his letter to the Philippians he seems to take another position. Philippians 4 6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. At first glance, these passages may appear contradictory. To reconcile them, a few possible explanations arise. Paul could have developed spiritually since his earlier letter to the Corinthians. Paul may be teaching the Philippians how to deal with anxiety and not that having it occur is wrong. And Paul might see spiritual concern for others differently than worry about his own circumstances. Consider that Paul may have grown spiritually between his letters, reflecting a deeper understanding of God's desire, not for us to eliminate all negative feelings, but to trust and find contentment in him. This helps resolve the seeming conflict between his encouragement to not be anxious and his earlier admissions of struggle. Philippians four eleven, not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and know how to abound. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Paul had learned the secret of contentment, a lesson he suggests was the result of a process, not an instant revelation. With this in mind, it's plausible that Paul had a greater struggle with anxiety for the church earlier on as he grew in Christ. It can be hard to imagine Paul being imperfect, but he was human, just like Peter, who struggled throughout Scripture. Paul even rebuked Peter for his behavior in Antioch. It's possible that Paul taught what he had personally learned about anxiety through his experience. Paul's words to the Philippians were do not be anxious about anything. He wasn't telling them to switch off their emotions. He himself dealt with human feelings. If Paul discovered a secret to escaping bad feelings, someone would have patented it by now. His point is different. Don't let anxiety linger. Deal with it when it surfaces, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God. Ultimately, God's highest goal may not be our happiness, but a deeper contentment. Ultimately, God's highest goal may not be our conditional happiness, but a deeper contentment rooted in trust and dependence on Him, regardless of circumstances. Paul's journey suggests spiritual maturity and faithful reliance are central to God's intent for us rather than happiness alone. In applying this passage to ourselves, we could say a prayer like this Father, I come to you with my worries and fears. I lay these anxieties at your feet, trusting that you care for me. Please give me wisdom and peace. Help me to remember your promises and be grateful, even in difficult moments. Thank you for hearing my prayer and for being my source of strength. Our prayers don't have to be perfect or eloquent. Speak from the heart in your own prayer, responding to what you're feeling, following Paul's outline, bring your request to God, be honest, and give thanks even in your struggle. Paul uses the words supplication, referring to prayer and thanksgiving. Supplication means asking humbly and earnestly. Thanksgiving means gratitude. How often do we express gratitude when asking God to take away our anxiety? Yet that's precisely the humble posture we're called to. We're not taught to demand things of the Lord or set our own expectations of him. We can be thankful even in difficult circumstances, and anxiety diminishes when we let go of the need to fix everything ourselves. Peter agrees with Paul on this topic, saying, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Humble yourselves, Peter says, so at the proper time God may exalt you. That is bring you to a higher position. Peter speaks of deliverance, but on whose time? Not ours. God acts at the proper time. We must trust that, or we feed anxiety and fear. Paul and his companions trusted the Lord even when they despaired of life itself. They didn't despair of God's plans, they sought relief in him, and he delivered. Not on their timeline, but his. They stood firm and were rewarded. The humble were exalted. Another point we must entertain regarding the apostles' teaching on anxiety is that there are different types of anxiety. We have worldly anxiety and spiritual anxiety. Paul makes a clear distinction in this regard when he laid out his sufferings to the Corinthians, saying in 2 Corinthians 11 28, and apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Apart from worldly suffering, Paul also bore spiritual suffering. If he felt nothing for the churches, what would he pray about? We need to experience anxiety to be driven to prayer. The problem is not anxiety itself. It's when we dwell in it. Physical ailments are another matter. The Lord may offer relief in other ways for those with physical challenges. What we eat and drink can profoundly affect our moods. Sometimes we need relief from our ailments. Even in the days of the apostles, there were remedies the Lord could use for good. Timothy five twenty three. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. Notably, even the apostles could not heal at will. It's striking that amid so much spiritual instruction, Paul makes this small reference to Timothy's physical suffering, and he doesn't tell Timothy to repent of any sin that's causing it. In some Christian circles, ailments are attributed to a lack of faith. Yet Paul simply says, use some wine with your water. That may have been exactly what Timothy needed to hear. Paul made no big deal of it, knowing the Lord would be Timothy's strength. Paul suggests a natural remedy for Timothy to reduce the symptoms of his ailment. The Lord can use all things to help us along in our suffering. Paul proves here that it's not always a lack of faith or prayer that keeps our ailments. At times we must consider taking care of our bodies, and the Lord can guide us in this if we seek it. Paul places so little focus on physical ailments in his writings. This is baffling when we consider all the side effects he must have carried from his beatings. When he writes of his own suffering is for the sake of spiritual growth in the churches. He used it to teach and help others. This would seem to be our calling as Christians. Think of how much you might help others in overcoming your fiery trials in this life. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he was in prison, yet he tells them Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Here he is, locked up, having been beaten and abused, and his desire is to encourage the church. Scholars count Philippians among Paul's epistles written while in prison, since he mentions this in the beginning of his letter. Paul was in prison many times, but his mention of the whole imperial guard and greetings from Caesar's household fit well with Paul's imprisonment in Rome upon his appeal to Caesar. When Paul wrote Do not be anxious about anything, he was facing dire circumstances. His imprisonment had a noble cause. God used it to spread the gospel, and even to bring some of Caesar's household to Christ. Still, from a human perspective, Paul had every reason to worry. Nero was emperor at the time, a cruel, sadistic ruler. He had his own mother hunted down and killed because he refused to share power. He murdered his second wife after she scolded him for coming home late from the gladiatorial games. To receive murder alone might be considered a blessing from an emperor of his nature, considering the things he went on to do to the first century Christians, Paul had every reason to fear standing before Nero. Anxiety about his circumstances surely gripped him, but he had learned how to overcome it. Rather than dwelling on his situation, he focused on the church's spiritual well being. Under horrible circumstances, he remained effective, sharing the gospel, writing letters, and encouraging others. We must desire to learn this liberating secret. The Lord continued to provide Paul with what he needed in every circumstance. So does God want us to be happy? Through all his challenges, Paul learned it was better to suffer with the Lord than to live apart from him. The secret to happiness is trusting God no matter the circumstances. As Peter reminds us, God exalts us at just the right time. As we consider Paul's example, we uncover key actions to help us pursue true contentment and trust in our Father. Bring your worries and emotions to the Father honestly in prayer. Choose gratitude, even in difficult situations, by remembering the Lord's faithfulness. Seek support from fellow believers and wise counsel when you feel overwhelmed. Focus on God's promises instead of your changing feelings or circumstances. Practice humble dependence on the Father, trusting that He will provide what you need at the proper time. In all things, remember that contentment is not the absence of hardship, but the presence of trust in God who is with us through every trial. That's what I got for this week, guys. I look forward to talking to you next time. Grace and peace. The content of this message can be found on my blog post at waking up to grace.com. My writings include linked references and visual aids, which will give even more valuable insight, and it's always free of charge. The comment section below each message is a place where we can share mutual encouragement and insight with one another outside of the social media network.