Real Happiness

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. (Psalm 42:1-4 ESV). Real happiness is possible only when one's spiritual needs are met. When these needs are not being met, there is a void in our lives. Some of us know something is missing, but are not sure what it is, or how to fill it. Others recognize an "inner need," but the sporadic efforts they make to address it prove fruitless. Both groups seek to fill this void by various means, such as successful accomplishments, material possessions and social activities. These and similar efforts provide momentary "fun," but do not bring lasting joy and peace. Having returned recently from Kipnuk, Alaska, the following story from Billy Graham about an Eskimo fisherman who came to town every Saturday afternoon was interesting. He always brought his two dogs with him. One dog was white and the other was black. He had taught them to fight on command. Every Saturday afternoon in the town square the people would gather, the fisherman would take bets, and the two dogs would fight. On one Saturday the black dog would win; another Saturday, the white dog would win, but the fisherman always won! "That's amazing," his friends commented, "how can you always pick the winner?" The Eskimo replied, "I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he is stronger." This story tells us a lot about the warfare that goes on in our lives. We have two natures within us, both battling for mastery. Which one will dominate? It depends on which one we feed. If we starve ourselves spiritually, we will struggle just to cope with the daily challenges of life. At times, it seems as if circumstances will wear us down. But if we are mindful of this need and obtain regular spiritual nourishment, we will gain the strength not only to face various issues in life, but also to do so successfully. More importantly, the on-going peace and joy we seek will be possible, despite the circumstances we encounter. In short, we will become more than conquerors. The psalmist knew this principle. In our reading this morning he said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God.” Without that driving need to find God, you will never find all of Him! Seek Him like a thirsty deer seeks water. Then you will find true happiness!