Dear Christian friends:

Everyone searches for happiness. No one searches for trouble and sadness. But most people do not know what true happiness is. They seek happiness without God. Such happiness cannot last long. Some seek happiness in money. And after they earn much money they worry and fear losing it.

Some seek happiness in pleasures and they become too old to enjoy such pleasures and so their happiness in pleasures quickly ends. Happiness without God quickly ends and flies away and more are left sad and hopeless. We are also tempted to seek happiness in earthly things without God.

But people who believe in God and in Jesus Christ, His Son are truly happy. They are:


They are so very happy they can't be quiet about their happiness. Our text shows that they feel eager to tell and sing of their wonderful happiness. First, they tell God of their great joy. (Isaiah 12:1-2) This we call worship. We tell God how good He is and how comforted and happy we are because He saved us.

This we do at home daily and every Sunday when we gather here at Church to worship God and tell Him of our happiness in Jesus. This is one of the chief reasons why we gather in church. Often people come to church for other reasons.

They feel it is a duty and think, "If I do not go to church, God will be angry with me or the pastor will scold me." They feel only duty, duty, force, force to go to church and that's why they often complain about church and long sermons.

But we should feel eager to go to church and gather with other Christians and make a large worship and praise to our wonderful God. Although He was angry because of our sins.

Although we deserved His punishment, nevertheless He forgives us in Jesus. His anger is turned away and He comforts us. We ought to feel like we sang in the hymn, "O That I Had A Thousand Voices."

O that I had a thousand voices
to praise my God with thousand tongues!
My heart, which in the Lord rejoices,
would then proclaim in grateful songs
to all, wherever I might be,
what great things God hath done for me.

Yes, Christians are the happiest people on earth. Their God forgives their sins and comforts them in Jesus. They are very happy and tell God often about their happiness. They also tell God how they trust Him and are not afraid.

Christians know that God loves them and forgives them in Jesus. They trust Him for all other needs of life, food and drink, house and home, friends, good government and peace. "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) Of course, sure He will.

If He did not keep back Jesus His own dear Son will He keep back anything else from us? Will He keep back bread and clothes and pleasure. God who gave us Jesus by His Holy Spirit is our kind wise mighty Father in heaven. He gives all good things that we need for support for our body and life. So we do not fear or worry.

We Christians can enjoy our food and drink and our pleasures more than the unbelievers who though they have riches and pleasures also have a bad conscience and fear and worry.

So we Christians are the happiest people on earth. True, sometimes we suffer persecution and mockery from unbelievers, but even in persecution and mockery, we rejoice in our wonderful God knowing that the enemy can do only what He permits. Like Paul we say, "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." (2 Corinthians 6:10)

Also, we Christians also have troubles. Sickness, hard times, wars, storms and old age and death. But we trust God even in these sorrows and troubles. We know that He sends these sorrows and troubles because He loves us and wants us to wake up more and more and not forget Him; not love the world and things in the world, but love Him and wait for full salvation at the end of our life or at the end of the world.

Now because of our weak faith and because of our sinful hearts and temptations we may forget these things. In good times we are tempted to forget God and love money and pleasures. And in hard times and troubles we are tempted to doubt God and give up faith and hope in Him.

So we need to feed our faith and happiness in Jesus regularly, as we feed our bodies. That's why David here says in Isaiah 12:3, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." God's Word David names water wells of salvation. As thirsty men hurry to drink water to satisfy their thirst and make their body comfortable and happy in bathing etc.

So we should with joy hurry to God's Word to satisfy our fears and doubts and make strong are faith in Jesus and multiply our happiness in God. Here in church we have three wells of salvation. The pulpit Bible preaching, the altar where we receive the Lord's Supper and the font where we baptize. Our three wells of salvation let us with joy come here regularly and drink of God's water.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.
Hymn, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

So if we come with joy regularly to the wells of salvation, we will stay happy in Jesus. We will be the happiest people on earth and here in church we will gather often to tell God of our happiness in worship and at the same time drink more happiness from the wells of salvation.

So we tell God of our happiness. We also tell others, other Christians, and others who do not yet know about our wonderful God. (Read Isaiah 12:4-6 below)

"And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."
This means witnessing here and at home. (Tell of the lady walking down the alley.) How about you? Are you happy in Jesus? Are you telling friends and neighbors of your happiness in Jesus. Does everyone know that you love Jesus? Do you show that by your speaking and doing for Him?

This also means mission and world-wide mission work. "that my name may be declared throughout all the earth." (Exodus 9:16) Cry out and shout through radio and TV, Lutheran Hour, and This Is the Life. Support your Synod and District mission program. Are you reading your Minnesota Lutheran and Witness? Are you praying for God's blessings on our missions work? Are you giving for support of God's missions as God has blessed you? Or are keeping back some and spending it selfishly for pleasures?

If you are really happy in Jesus, then you will feel eager to tell others and all the world about your great happiness as David here teaches in our text.

May God make us more and more happy in Jesus so that we cannot be quiet about it, but tell it to Him and tell to others near and far.

Amen.