“Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the  law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2
 
In the Old Testament as in the above Scripture:
The Hebrew word for blessed is, ’ESHER: blessed, happy.
 
In the New Testament as in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11, the word in the Greek is, MAKARIOS: blessed, happy.
One of the Beatitudes for an example,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.”  Matthew 5:6
 
Happiness seems to be the desire of all people!  And it is looked for in many ways and in many places, even ungodly places.  But looking at the verses above we can see that happiness is not an object in itself to be found.  Looking closely at just these two verses we can see that happiness is the result of something!
 
Psalm 1 puts it in the negative:
“Blessed (happy) is the man who walks not…But delights in…”
 
Matthew 5 puts it in the positive:
Blessed (happy) are those who…For they shall…”
 
Believers’ happiness is derived from--
The fear of God:
“Blessed is every one who fears the LORD.
Who walks in His ways.
When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.”  Psalm 128:1-2
 
Trust in God:
“He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.”  Proverbs 16:20
 
Obedience to God:
Jesus speaking to His disciples in His final discourse,
“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”  John 13:15
And,
“If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”  Vs. 17
 
Wisdom’s ways (Read Proverbs 3:13-18 and be blessed!):
“Happy is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding;”  Vs. 13
“She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.”  Vs. 18
 
Believers find happiness even in times of adversity--
When disciplined:
“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.”  Job 5:17
 
When suffering:
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange things happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you…”  1 Peter 4:12-14
 
In time of persecution:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 
for great is your reward in heaven…”  Matthew 5:10-12
 
In our love, trust,confidence and obedience to our Most Holy God do we find happiness!  All praise and thanks to you Lord!
“Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
BUT GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Psalm 73:25-26 
Amen