Happiness is something everyone wants to have. It is much sought after and yet it remains so elusive. It is abstractly both subjective and relative. It depends largely on whose lenses you are looking at it from. What makes one person happy, may not even solicit a grin from another. Our collage of life experiences and foundational beliefs differ and these affect our perception of what actually matters in life. If we keep attempting to pursue happiness in all its subjectivity, we find later on that the pursuit ends up trivial and futile after all.

We desperately need something that is reliable, unchanging and stable. As we base our convictions and foundational beliefs and hopes on that which is eternal, we rest on solid rock. Take Scriptures for instance, Psalm 1 and the six verses that comprise it.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The passage has the terms "blessed" and "blessedness" and in other Bible translations that is referred to being "happy" or "happiness". A few weeks ago, our Pastor Val Natcher tackled this very important issue and I would like to attempt to share the substance of what he conveyed plus a few interjections of my own.

1. The person that is truly happy does two important things based on the first two verses:

•He distances himself from sin.
•He delights in God's Law or Word.
If we are to desire to please God, we will be conscious of the circumstances that cause us to sin or fall, and avoid them at all costs. This is possible only through the supernatural enabling of the Holy Spirit as we dwell and spend time in God's Word.

2. You are delighting in God's word when:

•You meditate on it
•You obey what it says.
Spending timely, regular and consistent focused time on the words of God or Scripture for that matter, heightens our level of spiritual awareness. We get to know the things of God, and know more of Him and His character. When that happens, we learn to hear from God. We are able to discern which of the thoughts being fed to us are from God or not. As we sharpen our "things-of-God-radar", we are able to shut off those matters that are so deceptively attractive and yet are truly harmful to us, both physically and spiritually.

That should really be a life goal. We should sharpen our sensitivity to the things of God. Our time spent in meditating on God's Word should not be for information purposes only. We should dig deeper, and enable it to work supernatural and divine transformation in our lives.

3. As you delight in God's Word, you reap the following blessings:

•You will live a productive life.
•You will live a prosperous life.
In conclusion, searching for happiness is impossible in this life. The reason is because God did not mean for us to look for happiness in this life. It is not the main purpose of our very existence. Instead, He wants you and I to know Him enough to trust Him and obey His Word. The Lord wants His Word alive in our hearts. It should be practised in our daily living.

To delight in the Lord and His Word is the pathway to true success and everlasting happiness.