Oh Happy Day!

11 Feb Oh Happy Day!

February 11, 2026

Oh, Happy Day!

Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will] 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMPC

Trust, Gratefulness, and the Pursuit of Happiness. This message is to encourage you in the midst of everything to trust God and remain faithful and grateful. Everyone has something going on with themselves, someone they love, around them, or the world around them, in which we live.   Don’t let it stress you out or distract you. Stay with Jesus, remember, and believe for the best.

Faith for it!

Mark 11:23-25 NLT

I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

There was an old song they used to sing when I was young called “Where is your faith in God?” As a child, I remember when I first began to form a relationship with God. One of our sixth-grade friends had run away from home.  I remember talking to God, then seeking reinforcement from my mother and attending a prayer meeting at church, which was the first time I had attended a prayer meeting or prayed publicly.  After praying with those adults that night, I found peace, and as I think about it now, I see that faith was alive and active as I believed our friend would come home and be all right, and she was.

I Peter 1:8 says “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”  Where is Your Faith?  Sometimes, as adults, we too have to check, as life can throw us a curve, or a decision(s) can yield results we did not think about or handle.  Let’s go to Jesus with it all, follow His instructions.

Ask God about it and for it!

Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

An unheard request is not granted, so ask Father God for what you want. Come boldly, with confidence, and with details, and be open to receiving the answers, as they may have passed by you twice today.  Matthew 6:33 AMPC says, “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”

Don’t Mess with What God is doing!

Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! I Corinthian 13:9

Do not block or reroute what God is doing.  We all want the miracle ASAP, but if God sends you a meal and you need a week’s worth of groceries or $100 on a $10,000 miracle request, praise him for that.   Once you make your decree, know that it is established Job 22:28. Also, when we are interceding for people if God has not told you to say or do anything, stay out of it. Sometimes there are things you are unaware of in the situation or that God is doing and working on with and in a person(s).  One pastor says, “When God chooses not to tell us everything, he shows us more mercy than we realize”.

Be Grateful!

Gratitude glorifies God. I often hear it said that this young generation is ungrateful and acts as if they are entitled to everything.   I’ve seen both sides of the coin: those who were as grateful for an orange as an unexpected $100.  And I have experience giving a young person $100, and they did not bother to say thank you.  Today, most eight-year-olds hold a $600+ phone in their hands, and they think nothing of it, while their parents pay for it out of pocket or over a few years.  According to a study published in Psychological Assessment, grateful teens (ages 14 to 19) are more satisfied with their lives, use their strengths to improve their communities, are more engaged in their schoolwork and hobbies, and have better grades. They’ve also been shown to be less envious, depressed, and materialistic than their less grateful counterparts.

Gratitude should be a continuous posture of the heart; it must be taught and reinforced.  Jesus, the greatest example, thanked Father God all the time, feeding the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21 and during the Last Supper in Luke 22:19-20. Check out what He said at the Tomb of Lazarus in John 11:41-42: “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” The spirit of gratitude is for everything and everyone.  So, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., let’s help the parent out by being an example and reminding parents and children to say thank you, as it, in the long run, results in a better next generation.

Happiness!

Happiness is a decision. I love the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. The video showcases people from all walks of life just happy. Part of the lyrics say, “Can’t nothing bring me down, my levels are too high”.  I change the word’ levels are too high’ to ‘my love is too high’ when I sing it. Yes, it’s a secular song, but it gets the point across. Good news, bad news, in the midst of whatever, keep your Joy. The list of biblical people and situations in the next paragraph moves from want, desire, and loss to obedience to provision, all of which we experience in life. Let’s choose happiness!

Think about how happy Hanna felt when her prayer for a son was answered (1 Samuel 1:9-28). Or the widow’s son, whom Jesus stopped the funeral procession and raised from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). Or Abraham, when he saw the ram in the thickets, Genesis 22:13. Or the woman going to that barrel of meal each day, finding enough for the meals, 1 Kings 17:14. Or the last situation the Lord Jesus brought you or your family through, or better yet, the day you got born again!  Psalm 34:8 sums this message up: “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Theresa Woodard