As we prayed over the requests that came in this morning, the weight of what people are carrying felt overwhelming. The stories are heavy. The pain is real. And yet, in the middle of that sacred space of intercession, one question kept rising to the surface—persistent, gentle, impossible to ignore.
What makes you happy?
It wasn’t a casual question. It came wrapped in weariness, in lethargy, in a deep sense of being stuck. There was a feeling of apathy and paralysis, as if life had slowly frozen someone in place. And from a mother’s heart, that question carried ache. When someone can’t answer what makes them happy anymore, something vital has been buried under disappointment and exhaustion.
So we pressed in.
As we prayed, clarity began to unfold. The answer didn’t arrive all at once, but it came with conviction. Happiness and joy are intimately connected to service. You cannot live your truest life disconnected from loving and serving people. Somewhere in that truth is a key.
Serving doesn’t always look like ministry in the traditional sense. It can take shape through a business, a product, an invention, an act of care, or a role where love flows through what you create or offer. But when excitement disappears, when passion dries up, it becomes nearly impossible to serve well.
And that’s what we sensed—a loss of excitement. A calling still present, a purpose still intact, but buried under discouragement and repeated disappointment. Over time, the heart pulls inward to protect itself. Hope deferred begins to make the heart sick. And eventually, life feels dull, flavorless, joyless.
But this is not where your story ends.
If this message speaks to you…
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As we prayed, another truth surfaced. Any question asked persistently will eventually yield an answer. The problem isn’t that the answer isn’t there—it’s that we often stop asking. Resistance comes. Discomfort rises. And we retreat. But if you press through that discomfort, something gives way.
We felt strongly that a memory would return—a moment from your past when joy was effortless. A time when you were alive with purpose. Maybe it was brief. Maybe it was unexpected. But for a moment, you were serving others and felt euphoric. Energized. Fully alive. That memory holds a clue.
That joy wasn’t accidental. It was a glimpse of how you were designed to live.
Scripture echoed this truth as we prayed:
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
“A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
There has been a drying up. A fragility. A sense of just barely holding together. But God is inviting you back—to joy, to purpose, to life lived on intention.
We also sensed fear hiding beneath the surface. Fear attached to the very thing you’re called to do. Fear that says it’s too big, too risky, too uncertain. That fear can create a kind of blindness, keeping you from recognizing your true calling. But perfect love casts out fear. God is with you. You are equipped. You already have everything you need for life and godliness.
This isn’t ultimately about money, success, or provision—though those concerns are real. Those desires often point to deeper needs: to feel loved, secure, accepted, and safe. Money is a tool, not the destination. Just like a hammer isn’t the masterpiece, it’s the means. The joy is found in what you create, in what you build, in what you give.
God is inviting you to lift your eyes again—to passion, to purpose, to the reason you are here.
Jesus said,
“Whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst again. The water I give will become a spring welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)
That spring is still within you. The joy hasn’t disappeared—it’s been waiting.
Ask yourself again: When was I happiest?
What was I doing?
Who was I serving?
Pray into that memory. Let God breathe on it. Let Him restore the adventure, the excitement, the sense of being fully alive.
You were never meant to merely survive. You were created to live passionately, purposefully, and joyfully.
And know this—you are not alone.
We are praying for you.
