Real Joy in Tough Times: Good Medicine
Proverbs 17:22
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
Did you know the Bible calls a joyful heart “good medicine”?
Every day some things attempt to steal our joy. Thieves are standing ready to steal out joy. One of those thieves is our circumstances. Life is not perfect and because of that, it is not unusual to find ourselves living in discouraging and undesirable circumstances. And let’s just be honest; those circumstances will often steal our joy.
A Challenge to My Joy
A few weeks ago, I found myself in one of those discouraging and undesirable circumstances. Many of you know that during 2023 and the first half of 2024 I experienced a personal health challenge with cancer. I was diagnosed with stage 3B Melanoma and spent a year undergoing immunotherapy treatment. My last treatment was in April and during May, I was able to begin focusing on regaining my physical strength. All is well and the doctors have given me a great report. Then June came and you will never believe what happened.
While visiting my daughter, Anna, and her family in South Bend, Indiana I began to have chest pains and subsequently a heart attack. That led to a heart cath and two stents. There I was, laid up in a hospital a long way from home and far away from my own doctors.
Discouragement and Depression
If I could be honest with you, my spirit was broken. A year of cancer treatment and now a heart attack? As I lay there in the hospital bed I could sense my spirit becoming depressed. Discouragement as well as sadness set in and felt like a “broken spirit and dried up bones.” (See Proverbs 17:22.)
I began thinking thoughts such as, “Wasn’t cancer enough? Why now with this heart challenge? What have I done wrong? Can this actually be happening?” However, as I laid the hospital bed I began to consider the apostle Paul and his challenges to us from Philippians 1. Paul was in a Roman prison, perhaps chained to a Roman guard, unable to go about sharing the Gospel as he desired. His circumstances were certainly undesirable. But Paul also tells us something else. He tells us that though his circumstances left much to be desired, he was still joyful and the result was that the Gospel message was making its way through the palace guard, people were being saved, and those saved were getting stronger in their faith.
Medicine for Hurting Hearts
Rather than carrying a broken spirit, Paul focused on a joyful heart. What a testimony! And what encouragement for each of us!
Today, I am back on the road to recovery. Gaining strength, eating right, and exercising are all part of the plan and I am glad to report that the doctors expect a full recovery!! And there is something else I need for a full recovery: medicine. Yes, they have loaded me up with medicine for a while. All of this is to strengthen my heart and therefore, strengthen my body.
Can you imagine me turning down medicine that will strengthen my heart? That makes absolutely no sense. Well, God has given us a medicine to strengthen our lives, and that medicine is a joyful heart. It is easy to look around at our circumstances and become discouraged. It is easy to ask questions like “Why me?” and “What now?” However, we can rest assured that even in the middle of undesirable circumstances, God is at work in us and through us. We can rest in the confidence that He is in sovereign control and we can choose to live joyfully.
Joy comes from within, not from external circumstances. As believers, we have God’s Spirit living inside of us. God is the source of joy for us. He is our strength as we are weak. He is our joy when we are discouraged. He is the forgiver when we sin. He is the giver of forgiveness when we are wronged. He is the strength of our hearts. And from His strength, we experience JOY! Today, YOU can draw near to Him and experience the good medicine of God’s joy in your heart, even when circumstances are less than optimal!
Whom do I have in heaven but You? And with You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me; I have made the Lord God my refuge, So that I may tell of all Your works (Psalm 73:25-28).
Sharing God’s Medicine with Others
And when you experience that joy in your heart, you can share that joy - that good medicine - with others in your sphere of influence. God’s joy bubbles up and is uncontainable when He is reigning in your heart. When grumbling, unsettledness, sadness, or resentment reigns in your heart, that also bubbles up and flows onto all those around you. It’s normal and human to feel these emotions, but God’s good medicine - JOY - goes above and beyond those emotions, healing and strengthening your heart not only for YOUR good but for the good of those around you. Many people around you may be experiencing a heart that is producing a broken spirit that is “drying up the bones.” (Proverbs 17;17) Are you good medicine for the hurting ones around you?
Some dear friends of mine brought me a gift recently. Knowing my recent circumstances, and that I have begun a routine of new medicines, they brought me some very special medicine. This little jar holds Scripture verses wrapped up like little capsules! Each day, I read a Scripture from this little jar and my heart is encouraged, strengthened, and lifted. When you need hope, run to God’s Word! (The Psalms are especially encouraging!) I’m so grateful that the joy of the Lord in my friends spilled over in their sharing God’s Word and encouragement to me. My heart continues to be strengthened through their gift!
For the Apostle Paul it was imprisonment, for me it was a health scare. What circumstances in your life today threaten to steal your joy? In any and all circumstances, “a joyful heart is good medicine.” Spend some time meditating on these Scriptures to encourage you today:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
Rejoice always (I Thessalonians 5:16).
Whatever you are facing today, I encourage you to take the medicine of joy, to rejoice, to be joyful, to be glad, and to live joyfully. If you need prayer or encouragement, feel free to reach out to me at david@davidsmithministry.com. I will gladly pray for you and with you.