Happy Days

Martha is happy. She told me so. For several days, she has been floating around the house, smiling, singing, and drinking her chi-tea. No feelings of loneliness, no worry over economic crisis, no post-election blues, just happy. “I’m feeling so good these days,” she sings. “Why are you feeling so great,” I ask. With a smile and a dance, Martha replies, “I don’t know, just am.”

In a world of turmoil, I’m glad to have Martha around. It’s great to have a daughter who lifts her Daddy's spirit. Do you think God may ‘feel’ the same when we show joy and faith in the midst of difficult times? My, oh my, there is so much to get down about these days. But what an encouragement to enter into the presence of our Lord and King, and there find a comforting hand and a rewarding smile as I enjoy my relationship with Him.

Prayer can be such a refreshing encounter. I’ve been reading Philip Yancey’s book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference. He says, “Prayer that is based on relationship and not transaction may be the most freedom-enhancing way of connecting to a God whose vantage point we can never achieve and can hardly imagine… Learning to dialogue with God will never end because we are unequal partners, God and I. Admitting that, bowing before it, helps open my ears. Pursuing God despite the differences helps open my mouth, and then my heart” (chapter 5).

God is steady, even when my world is not. There are up days - my CPM team has baptized 15 new believers in the past two weeks. More house groups are ready to be formed. Then there are down days – my recent CT scan shows a small cyst (at least that’s what it looks like) growing where my left kidney used to be. To be sure, I will have to have it surgically removed probably later this month.

But regardless of the direction of the hour, day, week, or month, I can enter into the quiet but powerful presence of my Dear Friend, who knows my every concern, every weakness, every failure, every hope. With Him by my side, I can smile and be happy, just like Martha.