The God of Happiness

by Chadwick Brewer

“‘Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke’… so I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded” (Ezekiel 24:16,18).

It has become common to hear people say, “God wants me to be happy.” We can only know what God wants from us by searching His breathed-out Word. Scripture reveals that God may require a lot from us that might cause temporary unhappiness or deep sorrow. Ezekiel had to lose the delight of his eyes to serve as a sign of God’s judgment on His people.

There might come a time when I must choose between a good relationship with my family and serving God faithfully. I might have to leave home, my job, and all my creature comforts to please Him. I might have to sacrifice everything I have ever owned to do His will. Maybe it’s a huge slice of humble pie required to right my wrongs or repair a relationship. I may lose friends and close companions who no longer walk with God. There might even be a time when I must forfeit my life in service to God and others. In all of these hypotheticals, happiness is not the currency of choice.

The true god of happiness is me. I am the one who is supremely concerned with my happiness. God wants me to have a home with Him in heaven eternally, and He wants me to be willing to lay anything and everything on the altar of self-sacrifice to achieve that goal. So please recognize that when one says, “God wants me to be happy,” it is the individual who wants to be happy, regardless of God’s true desires.