I spent part of the beginning of this year being very unhappy. I was unhappy at work, I was unhappy at home, I was unhappy in general with just about everything.
I started wondering why this was. I wanted to change how I was feeling, but didn't know what to do.
So, I went and asked Uncle Google (google search). He had a lot of interesting things to say and questions to ask myself. Hard questions and easy questions. Questions to make me think and give me a direction.
So I began asking myself what makes me happy? As I thought about it, the more I thought, the more I realized that my answers would only reflect TODAY, and not what would make me happy in the FUTURE. What is the point of that? I wanted to go in a direction that would make me happy TODAY and TOMORROW.
In the days and weeks that followed, I posted the questions on my fridge, but did not have any answer.
Then one day, a light came on! In the Bible, the passages that say "Blessed are" are often translated or paraphrased "Happy is" or "Happy are." So, I started looking at the passages with that phrase.
First let me state that I skipped the obvious, the Sermon on the Mount passages in Matthew 5. I skipped them because I had heard them so many times, they were like words that go in one ear and fall out the other side on the ground. They were like a song that has been overplayed to the point where the words were meaningless.
So, I started in Psalm 1 where it says: Blessed (HAPPY) is the one who does walk in the step with with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord.
First clue: happiness comes from the Word of the Lord - the Bible and from revelation that He gives through reading his word. (See also Psalm 119:1,2)
Psalm 2:12 - Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him. (see also Psalm 34:8)
Taking refuge in Jesus - realizing that He is all I ever need does bring me great happiness.
Psalm 65:4 - Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
Being in the presence of the Lord, with his people (the local expression of His body, aka The Church) brings happiness. (See also Psalm 84:4)
The Bible does have a lot to say about happiness, and it's interesting to note that none of it dependent on your job, your surroundings, your financial status, your clothes, the car you drive, the number of your friends, or where you live, etc. It seems to me that true happiness is derived from reading and believing 100% what the Bible says about me, to me and for me.
Happy are you! Who is like you, saved by the Lord! He is my shield and my Sword. (Deut. 33:29)
I am saved by the Lord, and He provides everything I need, including happiness. The world can never provide true lasting happiness, and that's the truth.
Seeking After Signs & Wonders
12 years ago
