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Theology by steve johnson
Here’s a scenario: Christian co-workers, a man and a woman, are having struggles in their respective marriages. They commiserate with each other, finding emotional support and connection. It eventually leads to physical intimacy, pursuing divorce from their spouses, and being together. They feel justified in this because, after all, “God wants me happy!” What should we think about the saying “God wants me happy”? At face value it’s true, God wants us to be happy! There’s no debate about this—God wants us to enjoy life here on earth, and be happy. He wants us to live joyfully, to see good days, and enjoy the rewards of our labour (Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:12–13, 22; 5:18–19; 9:9; 1 Peter 3:10; 3 John 2).
Some Christians are uncomfortable with saying this phrase. They have no problem saying “God wants me joyful,” but they say there is a difference between happiness and joy—happiness is circumstantial and superficial while joy is inward and deep. I thought that too but as I dug deeper I found the Bible doesn’t support that distinction. The words are used interchangeably (Psalm 40:16; Proverbs 23:25). So, if happy and joyful are parallel ideas is anything wrong with saying “God wants me happy”? No, there is nothing wrong with the saying per se, but the context in which it is said can change that. There are two factors determining context. 1. The first contextual factor has to do with values
