Proverbs Devotion - Day 15

What makes you happy? It seems like this is the question that is forever in front of people. The point of life is that you are supposed to figure out what makes you happy and pursue that thing. That is even the principle that is extolled in the Declaration of Independence where it says that every man has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a culture, we are obsessed with pursuing what we believe will make us happy. Often, it is not the things themselves that are wrong to enjoy in our pursuit of happiness, but rather, it is the heart behind the pursuit. It is a heart that is shaped by selfishness. The desire of the heart is wrong from the outset, making happiness an elusive endeavor that it seems many are destined to go without satisfying.

In our Proverb today, we see many things mentioned about what brings peace or joy or happiness. Ultimately, it is the pursuit of wisdom (personified by the person of Christ in the New Testament) that brings all these things. We see from the text that there is nothing of this world that can be the true bringer and sustainer of peace and happiness. In fact, whether we have much or whether we have little, there is one thing that we can have continual joy from and that is the fear of the Lord (v. 16). In fact, the verse prior says that “the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.” It is the fear of the Lord that brings this happiness and sustains this happiness.

The phrase “the fear of the Lord” is one that brings to mind many thoughts from people. In this context, it is not talking about an abject terror of God. Rather, it is a fear that is borne from intimacy and relationship. This is the type of fear that you might have for your own earthly father. Not because you are absolutely terrified of being anywhere near them, but because you love and respect them so much you do not want to do anything that could possibly bring them sorrow or disappointment. The fear of the Lord is something that springs forth from our relationship with him. Which means, the key to our happiness is our satisfaction in our relationship with God through the Son Jesus.

This is probably not an earth-shattering revelation that you are reading today, but it is something that is of vital importance as we seek true and lasting happiness in life. The sobering reality of what we see in this proverb is that we cannot bring ourselves happiness. No matter how much money we make or how many things we buy or how many relationships we have, we cannot bring happiness to ourselves. Happiness, joy, peace, these things are gifts that are bestowed by our loving God upon his children. So, the question that we must ask ourselves this morning is not whether we are pursuing happiness (that is essentially what every does anyway) the question is if you have found that happiness. There is only one place from which it comes. So seek the source of true and lasting happiness. Know the Lord Jesus and never stop seeking to know him more deeply and intimately.