Today’s Reading, Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130
Focal Scripture: Psalms 128:1 “How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!”
Are you a happy person? I know people who claim to be happy, but they are some of the most miserable people on the planet. Why are they miserable? Because they are trying to find happiness in everything else in their life except for the Lord. If you pay attention, their happiness is rooted in jobs, money, vacations, people, and events. They want to look good for the world but sacrifice any desire to be happy in the Lord. So, how does one become happy in the Lord?
In today’s reading, we find out the answer to that question. David says that the happy people are the ones who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. Biblical fear is different than worldly fear. Biblical fear is an understanding that the Lord is holy and is in control of everything. It is a respect for his character and his attributes. An acknowledgement that the Lord is in charge and we are subject to him in this life and the life to come, whether we believe in him or not. This will make us happy because we can take all the pressure off our lives and place it right where it belongs, on the Lord. This will lead us to walk in the ways of the Lord.
I know the times in my life when I am the most miserable happen when I do not have a healthy fear of the Lord in my life. When I get so comfortable with the Lord that I forget that I am dealing with the mighty king of the universe. I know we are taught to view God as Abba Father, and it is explained so we understand the intimacy that we can call him “daddy”. However, in doing this, I believe the reverence for his holiness gets removed. We need to have confidence that we can approach him with anything we have, but we do so with reverence and awe.
When we lose that reverence, we have the tendency not to obey the Lord the way we should. Then we become unhappy and start to blame the Lord for our circumstances and issues. Instead, we should realize that our happiness can only be complete when we are worshipping God with everything that we have. As believers, the Holy Spirit desires for us to be completely connected. When we are not, our spirit is grieved, and we lose true happiness.
I challenge you today to fear the Lord biblically. Pursue him, walk in his ways, and find true happiness. This is the only thing that will satisfy our souls. Walk in the Lord’s ways and find out just how much you can change when you are obedient.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading 2 Samuel 1-4
