Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
A “merry heart” makes a lot of difference; it has great effects; it is the if condition of several promises. If you have a merry heart, then you will have a continual feast. The cause of the feast is a glad or cheerful heart. The one whose heart is right with God will enjoy the blessings of life to the full. A merry heart is one in which God’s life dwells by faith in Jesus. In the heart of a believer the Holy Spirit in continually growing love, peace and joy. A “feast” is a symbol of a good time and a joyous celebration, and this promise is “continual.” With God, there is always a party going on inside. The only problem with feasts and parties is that they end; but this promised feast of eternal life never ends, ever.
The key is to have a merry heart. It comes from God, but it is resisted by our own human flesh. “The gift of God is eternal life through Christ our Lord.” “The fruit of the spirit is…joy.” We can’t make the heart merry, at least not continually. The devil, the world, and the flesh falsely promise momentary thrills, but they soon pass and the “crash” happens. Only Jesus gives abiding joy, and the world can’t take it away. The inner feast is continual. And it is renewed every day and every week. We may pray daily; “restore unto me the joy of salvation.”
As long as we live in the world we will be afflicted, and if we didn’t have the Lord present to turn to, those afflictions can become evil. There will always be the temptation to be disappointed with God, and even to turn against Him in doubt, anger, and despair, and depression. But the Lord is there with His promise. Therefore we pray and believe, “Deliver us from evil.” “Rejoice in the Lord.”