Heaped Up Happiness

Everywhere I go of late, it seems the topic of joy vs happiness is coming up.

Even last night at the high school, there was a senior thesis presentation that discussed the importance of finding a meaning in life vs a life of distraction, as illustrated in the book “Farenheit 451 ” by Ray Bradbury.

And the other day I came across a prayer from Thomas Brooks, titled “Heaped up Happiness”, that I felt was worth sharing.

Lord God, you are glorious and happy in yourself
and you make glorious and happy
 those who enjoy you as their portion.
All the blessing of the people of God stands in this:
 you are our God,
  you are our portion,
   you are our inheritance.
Oh, the heaped up happiness
 of those whose God is the Lord;
  a happiness so great and so glorious,
  it cannot be conceived, and cannot be uttered!
All the blessing of this world cannot make us happy,
 except we have you to boot.
 
Nothing can make us truly miserable
 when you are our portion,
and nothing can make someone truly happy
 when you are not their portion.
You are the author of all true happiness;
 the donor of all true happiness;
  the maintainer of all true happiness,
   the centre of all true happiness and blessing.
 
Lord God, you are a treasure no one can take from us.
No friend, no foe, no devil can ever rob us of you.
You are ours by convenant,
 ours by promise,
  ours by purchase,
   ours by conquest,
    ours by donation,
     ours by marriage,
      ours by the pledge of the Spirit,
       ours by the witness of the Spirit.
You are not only our God for the present,
 you are not only our God for the near future:
  you will be our God for ever and ever.
Only a power that can out-match your power
 and a strength above your strength
 could rob or ruin our share in you.
But who is there who is stronger than you?
Is the clay stronger than the potter
 or the stubble than the flame
  or weakness than strength?
No, for your weakness is stronger than any human power.
We may easily be deprived of our earthly treasure.
Many have lost treasures
 by stomrs at sea,
  by force and violence,
   by fraud and deceit,
    by hideous lying and hellish swearing.
 
But you are a portion that the fire cannot burn,
 that the floods cannot drown,
  that the theif cannot steal,
   that the enemy cannot commandeer,
    that the soldier cannot plunder.
Someone may take my gold from me,
 but no one can take you form me.
Until weakness can make a breach upon strength,
 impotence upon omnipotence,
  the pitcher upon the potter,
   and the crawling worm upon you,
    the Lord of hosts,
  a saint’s portion is safe and secure.
Sickness may take my health and strength,
 death may take my friends and my relations,
  enemies may take my estate and my liberty.
But none can take you, my God, from me.
You are nailed to your people
 by your everlasting love,
  by your everlasting covenant,
   by the blood of your Son.

*Quoted from “Into His Presence: Praying with the Puritans” , edited by Tim Chester , Kindle edition, published by The Good Book Company (October 1, 2022), pages 47-48.