Happy

God wants us to base our satisfaction on Him - He calls us to experience delight in Him and He is the One who can bring us true joy in His presence. Psalm 37 says:
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

It is so easy to get caught up in what the world attempts to define as happiness - material possessions, status, power, control, taking pleasure in sin - those are areas that cannot completely satisfy.  Only when we trade in selfish desire for selfless delight can we experience that supernatural joy that God wants us to have consistently.  We gain contentment when we give control to the One who made us, who has called us to walk with Him.

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In 1st Timothy 6, the apostle Paul addresses what can - and cannot - make us happy and content:
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

So, are you happy?  Do you want to be?

The founding document for our nation, the Declaration of Independence, refers to the concepts of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."  And, while some would say that happiness is dependent on the externals and authentic, Christian joy is based on the internal knowledge and experience of God, Randy Alcorn says that the word translated "blessed” in 1 Timothy 1:11 and 6:15, "speaks of God being happy," according to an excerpt from his new devotional book, 60 Days of Happiness, found on his website.

He continues:

Since we’ll inevitably seek what we believe will bring us happiness, what subject is more important than the true source of happiness? Just as we’ll live a wealth-centered life if we believe wealth brings happiness, so we’ll live a God-centered life if we believe God will bring us happiness. No one shops for milk at an auto parts store or seeks happiness from a cranky God.

As much as I believe in the holiness of God, I also believe in emphasizing God’s happiness as a legitimate and effective way to share the gospel with unbelievers or to help Christians regain a foothold in their faith.

It's an interesting concept, and one could say, because the Scriptures say it, that God wants us to "delight" in Him.  So, we can look to God, not externals, as our source of true happiness, or, if you prefer, joy.

A piece on the Christian Today website provides some Scriptural analysis about a Harvard Grant Study on what it takes to be happy in life - it followed "268 Harvard undergraduate men coming from different backgrounds and different walks. The study lasted for 75 years total, starting in 1938."

Writer Patrick Mabilog states:

Harvard psychiatrist and leader of the study from 1972 to 2004 George Vaillant published the findings of the research that sheds light on human behavior. It also reveals God's true design for happiness—although I'm not so sure if the study ever meant to do that.

He says that Valliant "shares that one of the two pillars of happiness is love, the other being 'finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.'" Mabilog then references 1st Corinthians 13:13 and relates, "In our search for love, it's difficult to find any love that matches to the endless love of Christ. God is the only one capable of loving us unconditionally and in the magnitude that He loves us. He loves us so much that He gave His only son for us all."

Another principle of the study is that, according to the Christian Today story, "meaningful relationships—not the disposable ones—are the ones that bring us most happiness and joy." I would say this ties in with concept of not pushing love away. And, as the writer points out, Matthew 22 provides instruction to love God and love others.

The study also found that "emotional well-being is not directly proportional to increases in personal income."  The writer of the story about the survey quoted Hebrews 13:5, which tells us to be content with what we have.  I would also contend that 1st Timothy chapter 6 reminds us to not love money, rather, we are to love the One who has provided us resources to steward for His glory, but not to ensure our temporal happiness.

So, in summary, in our own personal "pursuit of happiness," we can find that we are called to pursue God.  We are called to know Him better and to grow in His love.  We can gain a clearer sense of His love for us as we fellowship with Him, centered around His Word.  He wants us to seek to know Him as He truly is.

We also find that our pursuit of God will lead us to pursue acting like Him.   God is the One who can give us meaningful relationships and stir within our hearts compassion that is consistent with His nature, the divine nature of which He has made us partakers.

And, we recognize that we are not to pursue contentment in the world's wealth.  As it's been said, God is not opposed to your having things, but He does not want things to have you.  He is our source of contentment, and we can trust in Him and enjoy His peace, even in the midst of the trials we face.