Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

~ Psalm 146:5-9

“Happy” are the Peacemakers
by Joel Hogan

Author John Piper writes that God is a “happy” God, because nothing can thwart God's will from being done. The Psalmist reminds us that when our help comes from our happy God, we are also happy. Why? Because this God, in the form of Jesus, came to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 61. He came to reconcile, to redeem, and to renew what sin has broken. He executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, loves the righteous, watches over the strangers, upholds the orphan and widow, and brings the way of the wicked to ruin. This is a picture of the kind of shalom Jesus was born to usher in: a peace that encompasses all of life. How can we not be happy when we have a God who promises such things?

A United Nations (UN) report once determined that the least desirable place in the world to live was the country of Niger. Based upon life expectancy, literacy rates, economy, school enrollment, and other factors, Niger was the last place in the world you might seek to live if you wanted to be happy. It was a place not of happiness, but of suffering.

But CRWM missionary, Henry Persenaire-Hogeterp, believes this tells only part of the story. From his years of service there, he tells of a Niger where a growing number of Christians stand courageously in their struggle against poverty. They live in peace with their neighbors. They would rather work back-breaking hours under a desert sun than steal to feed their families. One Christ follower, Dan Baro Tanguina, decided to tithe his meager salary in order to provide medical treatment for people in his village who could not afford it themselves. He also began to pray for healing with those who were willing to pray with him.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob those like Dan Baro Tanguina. Happy are those who follow the Prince of Peace, whose lives are beginning to look like the prophecy of Isaiah 61. Happy are those who can point to shalom breaking into our world in real and tangible ways even in the “unhappiest place on earth.” And happy are you, I pray, as you anticipate the birth of the one who gives us these audacious promises, and glimpses of them coming true.

Prayer
God, we thank you that the promise of shalom, and the way it is breaking into our world even today, allows for a deep, lasting kind of happiness. Thank you that this happiness does not depend on our mood or our circumstances, but instead depends on the trustworthy and true promises that you offer. Amen.

Path to peace
Henry tells of people who live sacrificially because they believe that God’s promise of shalom is worth believing in. Ask yourself today: does my pursuit of peace cost me anything? What might God be asking me to go without, work to pursue, or speak out about though it might cost me something in order to live like God’s promise of shalom is true?

Joel Hogan is Director of International Ministries for Christian Reformed World Missions.