God’s Miracle Medicine – Proverbs 17:22

There are many hospital patients who suffer from emotionally induced illness. God has an antidote – a miracle medicine.

1 – The misery of a heavy heart

It burdens the soul – See Proverbs 12:25. Misery burdens the soul. We are bent-over emotionally. Grief can make us ill. Some of us can’t let go of burdens. We are to cast our burdens on the Lord.
It breaks the spirit – See Proverbs 15:13. If your spirit is broken, then you are really in trouble. To give up your enthusiasm, will wrinkle your soul. We are to avoid doubt, fear and despair. We are as young as our faith and as old as our despair.
It buries the body – The soul affects the spirit and the spirit affects the body. We can make ourselves ill from the inside out. Many people will die prematurely because they do not understand God’s miracle medicine.

God has given us something to mastery misery. A merry heart is good for the soul, spirit and body. This is more than humour. It is joy!

The seat of that joy – It comes out of the heart of a person. God starts from the inside and works out.
The source of that joy. See Proverbs 16:20. It is the Lord Himself. See John 15:11. Jesus wants our joy to be full. Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness. He passes this joy onto others. Joy needs someone to love, something to do and something to hope for. Jesus meets all these conditions.
The strength of that joy. It is strong medicine. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
The stability of the joy. See Proverbs 15:15. If you get your joy from other things then they can let you down. The joy that Jesus brings is stable.

God gives us this joy so that we can minister.

This joy is to be sought – It is not automatic. See Proverbs 15:13-14. We are to seek the Lord each day.
This joy is to be seen – See Proverbs 15:13. The joy that you have in your heart should be seen in your face! It takes 72 muscles to frown and only fourteen muscles to smile. Think of all that wasted energy! This joy doesn’t have to be forced. It is evident to all.
This joy is to be shared – We are to share the cure with everyone. Without joy, life is meaningless.

Categories: Proverbs