To read: Psalm 1:1-2
Happy are those . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord."
To think about:
Happiness! We each want it and long to achieve it. There is plenty of advice on how to acquire it. The advertising agencies that flood our senses through television and the print media tell us we can have happiness by owning the right car, or eating the right food, or wearing the right clothes. Books on the subject fill Borders Books. A search of "happiness" on Amazon.com produces 1952 matches including such titles as "Happiness is a Choice," "The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People," and "101 Ways to Happiness."
There is probably some good advice in these books. But the Psalmist points to another source of happiness that is much more reliable . . . "the law of the Lord."
The Lord is at the center of life. He is its creator and sustainer. It is reasonable to look to the originator of life for directions about happiness. The Psalmist says it is "like a tree planted by the streams of water."
To pray:
God, our creator and redeemer, help us to clear our lives of the weeds and stubble that choke us, and to turn to you, the source of life, purpose, and happiness. Amen.