HEART, HEALTH AND HEALING (2)

“A MERRY HEART makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the HEART the spirit is broken” – Proverbs 15:13

Cultivating either a merry, cheerful HEART or a sorrowful, broken spirit will largely determine our HEALTH and HEALING: “A MERRY HEART makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the HEART the spirit is broken” (Pro.15:13).Nothing about our hearts is hidden form the Lord: “Hell and destruction are before the Lord; so how much more the HEARTS of the sons of men” (v.11). This implies that if we humbly, consciously, and faithfully submit our hearts to the Lord, He will ensure that we nurture health-enhancing dispositions. Scriptures consistently testify to the notion of the Medicine of a Joyful Heart (Pro.17:22). There is a healing effect when we are joyful, cheerful people.

We can choose to maintain a joyful heart and an attitude of gladness; and to consider the good that God has done, rather than the misery that the world offers or the opportunity to be depressed or sad. Even medical and psychological researches widely confirm the principle that emotionally stressful conditions such as anxiety, frustration, and hatred produce negative physical symptoms. A broken spirit will dry up the bones, which signify our ingredients of strength and stability. What such a heart needs is a supernatural infusion of Joy. JESUS is the Source of such Joy. At His birth, the angels amazingly proclaimed: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great JOY which will be to all people” (Lk.2:10a).

The true cause of a dried-up spirit is separation from God by sins. Joy comes when we’re brought into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The weight of guilt and the prospect of judgement and separation from God for all eternity bring pain and sorrow. The wonderful news is that Jesus has brought great JOY in place of sadness, sighing, and sorrow; and the oil of gladness to replace the spirit of heaviness. Jesus declared His anointing and assignment as our Conveyor of Joy: “…He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; …To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…” (Isa.61:1b-3).

God assures us of a beautiful garland instead of ashes, and the Mantle of Praise instead of a spirit of depression. The cause of a broken spirit is separation from God. The remedy is turning to God through Jesus Christ – the Author of Joy! That’s how we can have sorrow and sighing turned to laughter, and gloom to everlasting gladness and joy: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with EVERLASTING JOY on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isa.35:10).

Joy is not just laughter or the kind of hilarious feeling that's kindled by carnal comedy, humour or entertainment. Just getting someone to laugh will not cure or solve the problem of a broken heart. Humour, whether utterly worldly or coated in religious veneer, can never be the vehicle of bringing men from sorrow to joy. Solomon discovered this well enough: “I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter – “Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” (Eccl.2:1-2). All of these – laughter, pleasure, and mirth, are meaningless without God’s Spirit! David said it best in the midst of his confession of sin: “Restore to me the JOY of Your Salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Psa.51:12).

The way to a Joyful Heart is by knowing God through Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead. It is by coming to God in repentance and faith, turning from a self-centred life to God-focused and God-filled Life. His Joy is our Wellspring of Health and Healing!