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GOD DESIGNED IT SO THAT OUR GREATEST JOY IS CLOSENESS TO HIM
God designed the world so that our greatest joy is closeness to Him. No matter what you seek in life, no matter how much money you have, no matter your luxury, you'll never get greater pleasure than simply lifting your heart to Him.
Think about that: the basic act of worship is the source of highest gladness. And it's free! When we seek God -- when we love Him, when we adore Him -- He draws us above all physical circumstances.
No matter what you may be going through (pain, depression, worries), if you praise God He will bring you to joy.
That's because praise brings us close to Him, and there is no joy like the joy of knowing the Lord. He sends graces that can completely defy our circumstances. He brings joy where, by the standards of the world, there should be depression. There are those in poverty. There are those who are lonely. There are those with cancer. In God they find happiness.
The opposite is true of those who ignore God and thus set themselves at a distance. Take a look around and you'll see many of the rich with grim looks. No matter what they accomplish on earth, if they don't have a closeness to God, they never find true gladness. Meanwhile those who love the Lord have the glow of well-being.
To draw close we must love Him and seek to do His will, to be what he planned for us to be. We must seek Him in everything. Then comes a joy that's indescribable. You can buy a yacht or a Mercedes -- you can marry well, you can be the most powerful person on earth -- but if you don't have God you have not experienced true happiness. You have missed out on that transcendental elation -- that ineffable joy that put a smile on the faces of so many saints who to the world seemed poverty-stricken. Remember that smile on the face of Mother Teresa!
When we pray, we draw close to God, and He grants us feelings that can not be attained elsewhere. God is joy and when you draw nearer to Him you draw nearer to joy. It's that simple. There's nothing you can do that will bring as much happiness. And closeness comes through praise. Adore God through the day. Do it from the heart. Love Him. Praise Him over and over -- ten times, a hundred times. Praise You Jesus, praise You Christ.
That's what will bring you joy because the Lord is joy personified.
