"Doesn't God want us to be happy?"
In my ministry, I have been asked that question several times from teenagers.
The question usually comes at times of difficult decision-making, at times when someone must choose between obeying and trusting that the right thing is really the right thing, and disobeying and taking the easier, more pleasant-looking path.
Their approach to making their decision usually goes something like this. "Yes, I know what the Bible says, but I just feel in my heart that God doesn't want me to be unhappy, so I think I should do this... instead."
Sadly I have seen many people who think this way abandon their faith and chase after earthly things they think will make them happy, only to find out over time and after much heartache, happiness sought anywhere other than in God inevitably dwindles. They then feel betrayed, foolish and alone.
Did God want Moses to be happy?
I would say yes... God loved Moses deeply and wanted Him to be happy. In fact there is probably no other human being in history who has been as intimately connected with God as Moses. Yet God gave Moses a speech impediment, made him wander in the desert for 38 years with a bunch of whiners and once even gave his sister leprosy.
Did God want Paul to be happy?
Yes, God loved Paul and Paul loved God. In fact, God was the ultimate source of Paul's joy and contentment. Yet Paul was made to suffer almost more than any other apostle. He was imprisoned numerous times, shipwrecked, stoned, flogged (on more than one occasion), starved and eventually beheaded.
The answer to the question, "Doesn't God want us to be happy" is Yes, He really does want us to be happy! But for Moses, Paul, and all of the other prophets and disciples, happiness wasn't the main purpose, and nor should it be ours.
Yet God does want us to be happy. In fact that's why He sent His son to the Earth, to make us eternally happy. That is the goal of His love! To make us eternally happy! God knows that all things will eventually end. Children grow up and leave; houses, cars, knees, health, looks, marriages, boyfriends, and girlfriends all eventually will pass away. God knows that lives lived sold out to earthly things will leave us disappointed and so He wants us to see that He is the only source of Joy that is constant and never-ending.
