Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.  For they shall be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.  Trust in the Lord, and do good:  Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.  Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your ways to he Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:1-5 HCSB

The phrase Happy New Year is no doubt one that you have probably said and heard many times already and will hear at least a few more times in the next few days.  Today we embark on a New Year.  As we begin 2019, we have hope.  As  we wish others Happy New Year, and they wish us the same, we have this hope that this year will be truly happy.  But the thing that we must know is that happiness is a choice.  That’s right, we have to choose happiness.

We all know that person that we never want to ask, “How are you doing?”.  We don’t want to ask this question because it will lead to a barrage of complaints about physical ailments, how others mistreat them, how miserable their life is.  Honestly, there are people that I simply cringe when I see because I know that I will get this information even if I don’t ask.  They seem to be miserable.  But we can choose to be happy.  This should be a natural choice for Christians because whatever we face, God’s got our back.  So, even if we die it only means that we get to heaven sooner and for us it’s win/win, right?

Our scripture passage for today gives us some instructions on being happy.  First of all, we should never be so naïve as to think that by being Christians we can totally eliminate evil people from our lives.  They are there and they are going to be there until the Lord calls us home.  So, we must deal with them properly as David instructs us to do in Psalm 37.  First and foremost, he tells us not to fret over those that are evil and not to be envious of sinners.  Evil people will sometimes make threats and will sometimes even go so far as to carry them out.  But, we have God on our side.  He is faithful and just , so we must not fret about what these people may do to us.  Remember that sometimes sinners seem to be living the good life, but don’t envy them.  Our scripture passage tells us that they will not last.  If you have ever tried to make yourself happy by sinning then you know what this scripture passage means.

We are instructed to trust in the Lord and do good.  Romans 12:17 tells us never to repay evil for good.  God’s got this, we are simply to trust in Him and do what He has called us to do.  Even when he calls us to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

We are then instructed to dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.  I mentioned the other day what a good father God is.  There is actually a song out entitled Good, Good Father.  It was first performed by Housefires and gained popularity when it was covered by Chris Tomlin. I was blessed with good earthly parents.  I moved out at 18 but returned to live with my parents for several months after my divorce at age 24 and again when I sold my house 4 years later.  I always knew that I could come home and stay with my parents.  I knew that they wouldn’t turn me away.  I knew that they would shelter me and feed me if necessary.  I knew that I could dwell in their land and feed on their faithfulness. We have the same opportunity with God.  He wants us to dwell with Him in His shelter.  He wants us to feed on His faithfulness and know that He is there to take care of our every need.

Last but not least, our scripture passage tell us to delight in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart.  It tells us to commit our ways to Him and trust in Him and He shall bring it to pass.  When we trust in God with all we have, we are in close relationship with Him.  When we are bonded in this close relationship, we want what God wants.  Have you ever experienced the type of love where you love that person so much that you want to give them whatever their heart desires.  Well, it’s like that.  When we get into this close relationship with God our desires line up with His will.  I know, it’s a little mind boggling, but the bottom line is that we begin to understand that true happiness is found in the Lord.  Philippians 4:4 tells us to rejoice in the Lord.

So, if you want a year and a life that is truly happy, then rejoice in the Lord always.  Walk in close relationship with Him.  Live in his realm of heavenly protection.  Live the life that He is calling you to live and do the job that He is calling you to do.  Then, and only then will you be truly happy.  Because then your hearts desires will line up with His desires and there is no way that humans can ever be happier, except maybe when we get to heaven.

Have a  great day and a very Happy New Year!