The obvious answer to why we should have a merry heart is because it’s a lot more fun than being miserable all the time. That aside, the Bible says that “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17.22).
Doing Good like a Medicine
As I move through my senior years, I confess that it can sometimes be harder to laugh. Is it a coincidence that my blood pressure seems stuck over 150/110? If those numbers don’t mean anything to you now, believe me when I say that they will some day.
High blood pressure kills. While we’re here, salt is a major cause of high blood pressure, or hypertension as the professionals call it. We’re not about medical things on this website, and I have no training in the field whatever. Still, we’re all in this life together, and I’d like to have as many years to serve the Lord here as I can. If you feel the same way, then find a couple of good books or videos by searching for “how to not have a stroke or heart attack”. If salt and lack of exercise aren’t at the top of the list, then find another book or video.
Getting back… Laughter relaxes us. It’s hard to stay angry when you’re laughing. Even stoics can laugh. I know that because I tend to be one, and I’m always happy to find a good reason to laugh. What would be better though, is to be a person with “a merry heart.” The Bible says that joy is one of the nine “fruits of the spirit” listed in Galatians 5.22.23. Which by the way, brings up the second reason for having a merry heart.
Restore unto me the Joy of thy salvation
In Acts 16.25-4 we’re told of Paul’s time spent in a jail cell in Philippi. Take just a moment to imagine what that must have been like: He didn’t know if he was going to be beaten or maybe even killed. Yet his hands were lifted in joyous praise to the Lord.
The Bible tells us that Paul’s jailer saw the joy in Paul that night, and the result was that not only the jailer, but his whole family became Christians because of Paul’s testimony. Listen to the words of the Psalmist in Psalms 50.12-13 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.