It’s the outward evidence of inward joy, and it is proven to make you feel better. The joy of the Lord can ease any emotional and physical pain and bring you a new level of satisfaction in life.
Proverbs 17:22 (AMP) “A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
Proverbs 12:25 (AMP) “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.”
Proverbs 14:30 (NLT) “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body”
Proverbs 15:13 (NASB) “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.”
A joyful heart is a good medicine because it lifts your spirits. Laughter is one thing we can choose to help us in our circumstances.
Nehemiah 8:10b (AMP) “And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.”
Viktor Frankl, concentration camp survivor wrote a book, Man’s Search for Meaning. He said it was in the concentration camp experiences that he learned, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Joy comes not from what happens to us, but how we respond—the kind of attitudes we have about those experiences. We need not feel like helpless victims of circumstance. No matter what predicament we are in, we should ask ourselves: How does God want me to view it and feel about it? Then we can choose—with His help—to have that frame of mind.
God wants us to have a heart and mind that is positive.
Philippians 4:8(ESV) “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV) 16 “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
The more we love God and dwell on His loving nature and the wonderful and cheerful circumstances that He orchestrates, the healthier we will be. It’s good medicine!
Have a terrific day!