Martyn Lloyd-Jones on where to find joy

The child of the light is sometimes found walking in darkness but he goes on walking. He does not sit down and commiserate with himself … He does not see the face of the Lord at this point, but he knows that He is there; so he goes on.

If you want to be truly happy and blessed, if you would like to know true joy as a Christian, here is the prescription – ‘Blessed (truly happy) are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness’ – not after happiness. Do not go on seeking thrills; seek righteousness. Turn to yourself, turn to your feelings and say: 'I have no time to worry about feelings, I am interested in something else. I want to be happy but still more I want to be righteous, I want to be holy. ... ' ... Seek for happiness and you will never find it, seek righteousness and you will discover you are happy – it will be there without your knowing it, without your seeking it.

Finally … Do you want to know supreme joy, do you want to experience a happiness that eludes description? There is only one thing to do, really seek Him ... If you find that your feelings are depressed do not sit down and commiserate with yourself. Do not try to work something up but ... go directly to Him and seek His face, as the little child who is miserable and unhappy because someone has taken or broken his toy, runs to its father or its mother. So if you and I find ourselves afflicted by this condition, there is only one thing to do, it is to go to Him. If you seek the Lord Jesus Christ and find Him there is no need to worry about your happiness and your joy. He is our joy and our happiness, even as He is our peace. He is life, He is everything.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Spiritual Depression pp.117-8

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