Proverbs 15:15 (NKJV) — 15 All the days of the afflicted are evil, But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

Life as a banquet. This verse appears to be a companion to Proverbs 15:13. There, a merry heart is commended as the source of a cheerful countenance, while a sorrowful heart is said to break the spirit. Here, a merry heart is seen as causing one’s life to be like a continual feast. This verse does not mean that a merry heart will prevent all unpleasant events from occurring but that a merry heart will cause even these events to have a positive and nourishing effect in the long run. A person with a merry heart enjoys life, looking on the bright side, seeing the good rather than the bad. This outlook is good for a person physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. (See Proverbs 17:22.)

By contrast, those without a merry heart see all of life as evil. They see no point in affliction, no purpose in pain, no good in the world. The difference in the quality of life is not without, but within. The choice to have a merry heart puts a different perspective on all of life.

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