Proverbs 17:22 - A Cheerful Heart Is Like Medicine.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) A cheerful heart is
good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the
bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NLT) A cheerful heart is
good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a
persons strength.
INTRODUCTION
To be cheerful is to be ready to greet
others with a welcome, a word of encouragement, an
enthusiasm for the task at hand, and a positive outlook
on the future. Such people are as welcome as
pain-relieving medicine. [Life Application SB]
To insist on rejoicing in the Lord, even
when troubled or sick, is to release forces that
will soothe and strengthen both mind and body.
Cheerfulness often accomplishes what other remedies are
powerless to achieve. [SDA Bible Commentary]
The face glows with joy when the heart is
full of light and peace. But the spirit is broken
by continued sorrow of heart. When anxiety is
permitted to reign, resilience is steadily weakened,
until at last the resistance of the mind may be
broken. [SDA Bible Commentary]
COMMENTARY PEARL
When my friend Hannah found me sitting in
the church lobby with my computer open during
Wednesday evening services, I told her I was working.
But really, I was hiding. Hiding from people.
Hiding from small talk. Hiding from anyone who
might notice my sour mood bubbling below my fresh
makeup and fake smile.
I forgot that Hannah is not a
surface-level friend. Within five minutes, I'd shared my
burden. I cried and she prayed for me. Her words and
hugs were just what I needed to realign my
emotions with the infinite love of Jesus.
Then she caught me off guard. "You need
something fun on your calendar," she said. "Plan
something, and I'll ask you about it when I see you
next."
A few weeks later, it was her first
question. "Have you done anything fun yet?" she asked
with a smile that was equal parts best-
friend-at-a-sleepover and schoolteacher-asking-for-homework. I
knew then that her challenge had been more than a
flippant remark. It was a reminder from Jesus that a
cheerful heart is good medicine, and I hadn't been
taking my medicine lately. As a result, my lack of
fun and laughter were partly to blame for my
perpetual gloom. I needed a dose of the joy of Jesus
in my life.
I started with an afternoon of guaranteed
enjoyment - an outing with my family. My smile
returned, and I thanked Jesus for the healing power of
laughter and fun. Emily E. Ryan
Faith Step: What is something fun you can
put on your calendar? How can you add the joy of
Jesus into your life? [Mornings With Jesus 2024
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
The influence of the mind on the body, as
well as of the body on the mind, should be
emphasized. The electric power of the brain, promoted by
mental activity, vitalizes the whole system, and is
thus an invaluable aid in resisting disease.
There is a physiological truth - truth that we
need to consider--in the scripture, "A merry
[rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine." Proverbs
17:22. "Let thine heart keep My commandments," God
says; "for length of days, and years of life, and
peace, shall they add to thee." "They are life unto
those that find them, and health to all their
flesh." "Pleasant words" the Scriptures declare to
be not only "sweet to the soul," but "health to
the bones." Proverbs 3:1, 2, margin; 4:22;
16:24. Understand the deep truth underlying the
Bible statement that with God "is the fountain of
life." Psalm 36:9. Not only is He the originator of
all, but He is the life of everything that lives.
It is His life that we receive in the sunshine,
in the pure, sweet air, in the food which
builds up our bodies and sustains our strength. It
is by His life that we exist, hour by hour,
moment by moment. Except as perverted by sin, all
His gifts tend to life, to health and joy...
True beauty will be secured, not in marring God's
work, but in coming into harmony with the laws of
Him who created all things, and who finds
pleasure in their beauty and perfection. {Ed 197,
8}
The relation that exists between the mind
and the body is very intimate. When one is
affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of the
mind affects the health to a far greater degree
than many realize. Many of the diseases from
which men suffer are the result of mental
depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt,
distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and
to invite decay and death. Disease is
sometimes produced, and is often greatly aggravated,
by the imagination. Many are lifelong invalids
who might be well if they only thought so. Many
imagine that every slight exposure will cause
illness, and the evil effect is produced because it
is expected Courage, hope, faith, sympathy,
love, promote health and prolong life. A contented
mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and
strength to the soul. "A merry [rejoicing] heart
doeth good like a medicine." Proverbs 17:22. In
the treatment of the sick the effect of mental
influence should not be overlooked. Rightly used, this
influence affords one of the most effective agencies
for combating disease. {MH 241}
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Proverbs 17:22 - A Cheerful Heart Is Like
Medicine.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230421-0907.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220917-1028.html
Proverbs 17:22a - A Merry, Joyful, Happy,
Cheerful Heart Is Like Medicine.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160331-1405.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
