Happiness in Holiness

We normally measure our happiness by the fulfillment of our desires. Like Eve and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, flesh based happiness never ”leaves“ you fulfilled. King Solomon asked God for the same thing Eve desired, “the knowledge of good and evil”. We have been taught that he asked for the wisest thing. But he could have asked for more of God. Instead, he was indeed filled with intellect, lavished with riches, esteemed among men, and engulfed in sexual pleasures. But real happiness eluded him. All he had to do was live obedient to the way of the Lord.

Like Solomon, how does one desire salvation but not the Savior? How can you desire the fruit of eternal salvation and blessings that come only from righteous living but never eat from the Tree of Life; or never fully assimilate Christ into every area of your lifestyle? You want God to fix your financial situation while you run up credit cards. You want God to fix your children but you won‘t pray with them or bring them to youth group. You want God to fix your marriage but you refuse to control your tongue. You want God to fix the mess and dysfunction that is going on inside of you but you won’t surrender your choices.

Psalm 1:1–2 ESV

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Happiness is like a pair of holey socks. You know you need to throw them away every time you put them on. But instead, you wear them, even though they are annoying. You might even put the sock on backwards to put the hole towards the little toe instead of the big one. You think to yourself, no one will see it or ever know. Then, at the end of the day, you throw them back into the laundry until they end up back in your drawer for you to put on another day. This is by no means and indictment against my wife! LOL! But this is the way it is with our perception of what will make us happy in this life with less regard for that which is eternal. We fail to remember, that which we pursue of this earthly world will only leave us with holes in our souls.

Matthew 6:19 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

Have you ever seen a commercial where the model selling the product is “not happy”? Have you ever seen a company try to sell a product or service by presenting to you a number of dissatisfied customers? Of course not. Because they know that you have “mirror neurons” that promise to mimic what you see. A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an individual performs an action and when the individual observes the same action performed by another individual. For example, you see someone stub their toe and you flinch as if you felt it yourself and associate the feeling of that pain. Or, perhaps you see another person cringe in disgust at tasting something and you immediately associate it with your recollection of disgusting things. Some neuroscientists have sought to explain this simply with the discovery of mirror neurons.

But wait! Do not explain away the soul just yet. Dr. Marco Lacoboni has some skepticism and states, “Actions come with intentions. Mirror neurons activate meaning or intention circuits from within. But it’s deeper than cognitive understanding.”

You bet your buttons Dr. Marco! To the believer in Christ Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, true happiness is not something I find in mere capitalism. True happiness is found in following the Christ with all my being!

If there is one person in the Bible that discovered the truth about happiness and unhappiness, it is David. The entire book of Psalms is David’s life journal of his ups and downs; of his flesh constantly bringing him down and his faith consistently reminding him of who God is. Let’s look again at Psalms 1:1-2.

Blessed - אָשֵׁר Asher meaning to be happy or fortunate or found in God’s favor by His grace. It also means “because” or to cause something such as in Genesis when God blesses that which is good and it multiplies.

Walk - הָלַךְ & יָלַךְ Halak meaning to walk or how one lives ethically, morally, relationally and spiritually.

Stands - עָמַד Amad meaning to set firmly; to support or sustain; to remain; to confide in.

Sits - יָשַׁב Yashav meaning to sit down or be positioned with; to be enthroned with; to inhabit, abide or dwell with; to make straight.

Delight - חֵפֶץ Hefets meaning to pursue with desire something precious.

Meditate - הָגָה Yehgeh meaning fervent thought or to speak with the authority like the growl of a lion.

So the Psalmist gives us an outline for happiness. Let me read Psalms 1:1-2 by way of Hebraic definition, “Found in God’s favor and multiplied grace is the man who does not live the lifestyle of the wicked; nor does he support, sustain, or confide in those who live in rebellion and opposition to the ways of the Lord; nor positions and aligns himself with the authority of those who mock, belittle, or compromise the commandments of Adonai. But instead, found in God’s favor and multiplied grace, is the man who pursues, with passionate desire, the lifestyle of the righteousness in Adonai. He considers Adonai’s commandments as precious and they rule his every thought and words as the authoritative voice of a roaring lion within his inner most being. Happy is the man who lives holy Before Adonai.”

The problem is that the happiness that David speaks of and that God provides is not the same definition of the happiness we seek and desire. Ours is the tree that is pleasing to the eyes, appealing to the flesh and justification of our enmity in our own knowledge. But the happiness that God provides is found in the Tree of Life. God’s happiness is found in His Holiness.

If happiness is to be found through the flesh it never finds fulfillment. True happiness can only be found in the life lived through Christ. In order to find this happiness that David speaks of, we have to get rid of the holey socks that we horde in order to live in holy happiness. Holey socks represent all the baggage you are still wearing inside of you but you have managed to find a way to wear them comfortably avoiding the constant annoyance. But you know they are still there inhibiting God’s multiplied plans and purposes for your life. Some you just keep hidden in the drawers of your heart and mind. It’s time to let them go and find real happiness in His holiness.

Part 2: Oh Lord Make Me Happy

Psalm 16:11 ESV

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 30:5 ESV

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 71:23 ESV

My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

Proverbs 10:28 ESV

The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Psalm 32:11 ESV

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalm 4:7 ESV

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Acts 13:52 ESV

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Happiness is not in your DNA, it’s not in what you have, it’s not in what you do. Humanist philosophers and cultural psychologist would like you to think that you can create your own happiness. But true blessedness, true happiness only comes in intimately knowing and surrendering to Jesus Christ. Happiness is not a physical, biological, or materialistic possession. It does not come from the natural but the supernatural reality of God Almighty. In fact, the Bible does not even speak of happiness in the context of which our modern day cultural revolution for the pursuit of happiness propagates.

We tend to think that happiness is avoiding unhappiness. Unhappiness may have contributors from background, upbringing, environment, health conditions, and poor choices and even social disadvantages. But Jesus proved that none of these define or have the power to withhold “true happiness”. With one touch from Jesus, no matter who they were, where they come from, or what they had been or done, one touch from the Master, and their souls were filled with real happiness!

Happiness is the not the primary purpose, Jesus is! Any form of happiness found apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ is temporal and superficial at best.

The Priests were happiest when in the presence of God! “Happy and blessed is the soul that is conscious of God's sweet indwelling presence. Being conscious of God's presence is what the Psalmist meant when he said, ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good.’ ‘Tasting God’ is an expression incomprehensible to the unregenerate. Those who have tasted him comprehend the meaning of this expression better than they can tell it. When a bit of sugar is placed upon the tongue there is experienced a sweetness in the sense of taste. When the soul tastes of God there is experienced a sweetness in the spiritual being. The sweetness of God's presence in the soul is as much more glorious than the sweetness of sugar to the taste as spiritual and heavenly things are above more literal than earthly things. God and his word are inseparable, or the word is God; therefore when the Psalmist says, 'How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth," it is in reality tasting the sweetness of God'” (Consciousness of God’s Presence; BibleHub.com).

“The awakened soul thirsts for this sweetness of the divine presence. Nothing else can satisfy it. The wealth and pleasure of the world do not contain a sweetness sufficient to satisfy the heart of man. It is only God that can fill the hungry soul with goodness. The divine life sheds peace and light and rest in the soul. Man receives the divine presence into his spiritual being when he is quickened by the Spirit. In the Word of God it is termed ‘passing from death unto life,’ and ‘being born again’” (Consciousness of God’s Presence; BibleHub.com)

1 Samuel 30:6–7 ESV

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

When David was down, discouraged or feeling beaten, he strengthened himself in the Lord. His response was to go get face-to-face (panim-el-panim פָּנִ֔ים אֶל־ פָּנִ֔ים) with God in prayer, worship, sacrifice, surrender, repentance, confession, and the Word’s of God quenched his heavy soul and filled it with the joy of the Lord, in the assurance of God’s goodness and favor to the upright in heart!!!

Some of us think we will find happiness if we could just connect with God‘s predestined plan for our life. We fret over questions and expectations like, “does God want me to be a preacher, a plumber, a doctor, a lawyer, a mechanic or an electrician, an artist or an athlete?” “Does God want me to buy this house, that house, a new car, a used car?” “Does God want me to have a relationship with this person or that one, maybe that one, or should I wait for another?” But God‘s thoughts are much higher than that. God’s desire is much deeper than that and much richer than that. Gods desire is that you, above all, be holy. And when you are holy, you need not worry about any of these things! God’s sovereign will can handle it all!

You will not find any satisfaction, happiness or joy in what you do apart from doing it in the righteousness of God. You will not find happiness in idleness, in laziness, self-centeredness, haughtiness, pride or immorality. You will not find happiness in this relationship or that one, no matter which one is the will of God if you will not surrender to His process of sanctification and transformation of your stubborn and unrighteous self. You will find happiness when you do what you do and when you live how you live, in the righteousness of God.

So what is true happiness? God never promised us happiness. He offered us His joy! True happiness is finding joy in He who is Truth regardless of how you feel or what comes your way. In Philippians 4:11 the Apostle Paul says, “…I have learned in every situation I am to be content.”

It has been said that if you do what you love you will never work a day in your life. The essence of the statement is knowing why you do what you do. But if the reason for what you do is self-centered you will never know the fullness of joy in the Lord.

Joy (Sim-cha שִׂמְתָה) Simcha, Joy, is one of the most prevalent words in the Bible. Together with its synonym, sa-son, it appears in scriptures over 400 times! In fact, the English word ‘sassy’ came from sa-son. Both words together form a beautiful expression that is said in every Jewish wedding (by the way, weddings themselves and other great events such as a child birth are called in the general name ‘sim-cha’). This expression, coined by the prophet, Jeremiah (33:11), says: ‘kol sa-son ve-kol sim-cha, kol cha-tan ve-kol ka-la’. “The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride” Jeremiah 33:11

So, how should we go to God seeking from Him that He make us happy? Something about the very word “happy” asked in that way should strike you the wrong way. There’s the old joke about the Jewish telegram: “Start worrying…details to follow.” As human beings it seems we are pre-conditioned to guilt, and in a fallen world, “conditioned to see anxiety around every corner, to be more comfortable in the familiar ‘oy’ over the risky ‘joy’” (Rabbi Evan Moffic; How to Pray for Happiness; MyJewishLearning.com).

The English word “Happiness” comes from the Middle English hap, as in happenstance or haphazard. This root implies that a “happy” life is the result of random luck and fate. As such, prayer, the favor or the goodness of God would have nothing to do with it.

In a consumer and indulgent culture, happiness is used synonymously with hedonistic pleasure or self-indulgence. But happiness is not the same as joy. Happiness is subjective, conditional, and therefore, short-term. But joy comes from the Lord and His joy knows no limit or end. His joy is transcendent of your feelings, you disappointments, your failures, your trials and your humanity. His joy is eternal.

“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Nehemiah 8:10 ESV

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

“The joy of the Lord is found on the road to restoration”(Meg Bucher, What Does “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength” Mean in the Bible; BibleStudyTools.com).

When we are convicted of our sinfulness by the Spirit of God we often resort to feelings of shame and guilt. When we feel we do not measure up we feel disappointing. When we don’t really want to surrender to God’s plan for our life we feel frustrated. But those feelings are not from God. Ezra read the Word of God to the people and when it was explained to them the people realized their rebellion and sinfulness (Nehemiah 8:8).

And once they understood where they really stood with God, they wept. God’s word opened their hearts and their eyes to really see Him. “Sorrow may last for the night....” we quote without contextual understanding. Do we realize and weep over our condition as God sees it or do we just pray to be happier tomorrow than we are today. Then Nehemiah reminds them of who their God is. “They could delight in the joy of the Lord because he is a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate,” .....BUT JOY - comes in the morning. (Meg Bucher, What Does “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength” Mean in the Bible; BibleStudyTools.com)

Some of you need to get your mind and soul to quit telling you “but this and that...” You need to get a new mindset of, “BUT JOY!” Quit seeking your happiness and find His joy. You will never, ever, ever find happiness in this world. But you will find Joy in Jesus through the power of the Holy Ghost! The JOY of the Lord is found in walking in His holiness.