Does God want you to be happy?
This topic really startled me the first time I saw it. I have to say that "happiness" is not a concept that has value and meaning to me. In fact, as I thought about this topic after reading the essay, I found that I am more likely to use the word happy in a negative sense:
- "I am not happy with this Bible study outline that I spent hours preparing."
- "I am not happy with the outcome of the equipment repair I just completed."
And yet "happiness", whatever that is, seems to be a near universal human desire. I think we could certainly answer the above question with a "Yes", but that just raises other questions:
Considering our modern cultural understanding of "happiness", I just cannot agree with that statement. Let me explain why. In the Old Testament there is a Hebrew word group that is usually translated into English as 'blessed'; and in the New Testament there is a Greek word that is usually translated into English as "blessed". The English Bible translations, however, are somewhat inconsistent in this regard; usually the words are translated as "blessed" but sometimes they are translated as "happy". In their defense, translators may use different English words for the same original language word because they believe the context leads to a different meaning. In most instances, however, I just do not think "happy" represents the appropriate meaning. Particularly, in Psalm 1, I believe "blessed" represents the appropriate meaning and "happy' does not.
Here is my understanding of there two concepts:
In other words, blessed is what we are; happy is how we may feel as a result. There are certainly circumstances in which we are blessed by God, but we do not in that moment, or even for some time, feel happy about our circumstance.
I would like to point to Matthew 5:1-12, known as the "Beatitudes", where "blessed" is a key concept. Look carefully at these statements. Every one of them describes the person's status or condition based on God's work in their lives, not some feeling that they may or may not be experiencing at the moment.
I have had many moments when I did not feel "happy" about my circumstances, but in that moment I was able to turn to God in prayer and thank him for the many blessings I have from Him and my blessed condition through Him. What about you?
Scripture quotations labeled as NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible
- What is happiness?
- Should happiness be our highest priority?
- Can happiness deceive us and pull us away from God's will?
Blessed vs. Happiness
In his Core 52... book, Mark Moore begins his essay on "Finding Happiness" with Psalm 1:1-3:
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Then later in his essay while referring to this Psalm Mr. Moore says this:
"Psalm 1 is the single most important passage in he Bible on happiness. It opens with the word blessed - the Bible's term for 'happy'..."
Considering our modern cultural understanding of "happiness", I just cannot agree with that statement. Let me explain why. In the Old Testament there is a Hebrew word group that is usually translated into English as 'blessed'; and in the New Testament there is a Greek word that is usually translated into English as "blessed". The English Bible translations, however, are somewhat inconsistent in this regard; usually the words are translated as "blessed" but sometimes they are translated as "happy". In their defense, translators may use different English words for the same original language word because they believe the context leads to a different meaning. In most instances, however, I just do not think "happy" represents the appropriate meaning. Particularly, in Psalm 1, I believe "blessed" represents the appropriate meaning and "happy' does not.
Here is my understanding of there two concepts:
- Blessed is our status or our condition, based on our relationship to God and His work in our lives.
- Happiness is a feeling, an emotion, that may or may not result from a blessing.
In other words, blessed is what we are; happy is how we may feel as a result. There are certainly circumstances in which we are blessed by God, but we do not in that moment, or even for some time, feel happy about our circumstance.
I would like to point to Matthew 5:1-12, known as the "Beatitudes", where "blessed" is a key concept. Look carefully at these statements. Every one of them describes the person's status or condition based on God's work in their lives, not some feeling that they may or may not be experiencing at the moment.
I have had many moments when I did not feel "happy" about my circumstances, but in that moment I was able to turn to God in prayer and thank him for the many blessings I have from Him and my blessed condition through Him. What about you?
---
Scripture quotations labeled as NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible
This post is the result of my studies based on the book by Mark E. Moore, Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Building your Bible IQ in a Year, published by WaterBook (Penguin Random House)
Trade Paperback ISBN 978-0-525-65325-7
ebook isbn 978-0-525-65326-4
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