THE ALTERNATIVE ROUTE TO HAPPINESS
Psalms 1: 1-3 NKJV
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
This was not devotional clickbait. The CSB version of this Psalm starts with, "How happy is the man..." The NLT says, "On the joys of those." So, whether it's blessed, happy, or joyous, we'll take it. This short Psalm offers great wisdom for obtaining happiness, which is something so many have pursued all their lives—often without satisfactory results. But our heavenly Father is not opposed to us being happy and gives us an obtainable route to get there.
The happy ones are the ones who do not listen to the counsel and advice of those who are wicked. The wicked are referred to as the ungodly, the guilty, and the wrong as far as where they stand with God and His ways. There is much advice available today, but we need to make sure the source of the advice is reliable.
The happy ones do not stand in the path with sinners. Sinners, those who are missing the mark as it pertains to God and His ways, are always crossing our path as we go about life. But we are not going to be on the same path. The goal is that when sinners see our happiness, they will inquire as to why, and we can show them a different path we are walking as we follow Jesus Christ.
And the happy ones do not sit with those who mock God. The mockers may laugh now, but keep in mind that this life is not all there is. There is the life to come. The psalmist is not advocating we isolate ourselves as Christians. We can't confine ourselves to a singular Christian environment. We are supposed to be a light in the dark. The psalmist is advocating for using wisdom regarding who you listen to, follow, and agree with.
The happy ones are the ones who delight in God's Word and ways. Delight is different from duty. It's hard to take delight in something we are forced to do. God does not force; He gives us words that feed our souls and strengthen our minds as we think on them. The psalmist says that because of a love for God's Word, we meditate on it day and night. I can hear you protesting that you have to work, raise the kids, navigate relationships, etc., etc. And that you can't think about God's Word day and night. But we are always thinking about something. Knowing the power of God's Word and what it can do in our lives, focusing on His words, bring His peace and His wisdom. Thinking about problems constantly is not the path to happiness. Remember, we are looking for God's path to being blessed, happy, and joyous.
As we begin to fill our minds with God's thoughts, good things happen. We become consistent and solid. We flourish instead of being dry and worn. And whatever we do begins to prosper. Since we have abandoned wrong advice and wrong ways, we do better. And doing better God's way produces results we don't have to worry about. We are on the right path—God's path to happiness.