The Blessing of Happiness; the Blessing of Peace

          Everyone wants two things from life.  They want to feel happy, and they want to have inner peace.  From the meanest criminal in the toughest prison, to the kindest saint, we all have the desire to feel happy and at peace.  People invest billions of dollars pursuing these goals, only to fail.  In our world today, there are many things which hold out hope for happiness and peace of mind, but only one thing can deliver. 
          When God speaks of His blessing in the Bible, He is not talking about money and possessions.  He is talking about that sense of peaceful happiness and fulfillment, which only comes from being in a "right relationship" with Christ.  In fact, that is the meaning of "righteous."  To be "righteous" is to be "in the right relationship with God."  But it is not our good deeds that put us in that relationship, but our faith, or trust, in God.  The formula for peace and happiness in life could not be more simple.  Be in the right relationship with God by trusting God.  Happiness and peace follow.  Even in the middle of the fiery furnace, the three young Hebrew boys walked calmly about because they were in the right relationship with God.  Even in the pit of lions, Daniel napped in peace.  Even in the middle of a nightmare, we can find peace.
          Do we trust God?  A simple test of faith is how much we trust God to make things okay.  If we are living in the right relationship with God, and if we have faith in His promises, we have nothing to fear, nothing to dread.  That does not mean that we will not go through hard times, struggle with illness, face the deaths of loved ones, or escape from the pain of life.  That is just life.  Life involves some pain.  If we are living in a human body, then pain is part of the price of life.  But even in the midst of the heat of the fiery furnace, we are blessed with God's peace.  The Bible says that it is the peace that passes understanding.  That means it is a peace that does not make sense to the rational mind.  But that peace is real, as every Christian knows.
          When we think about the blessings we want to claim, we should not think in terms of money, or reputation, or even health.  Those things are great and can be enjoyed, but God may have something else in mind for us; He has an even greater blessing that these things for us.  We may have to walk through poverty or loss of reputation, or even illness as we serve Him.  What He does promise is happiness and peace of mind.
          What we find in our relationship with Christ is something the entire world is seeking.  The criminal thinks that he can short-cut his way to happiness by stealing someone's possessions or taking someone's life.  But then he finds that he is the one who has been cheated, and he is the one who has lost his life.  The young person who thinks that sensuality and drug use will lead to happiness and peace of mind, finds fear, disease, and death at the end of the quest.  Jesus Christ holds the answer to the riddle of what is life about.  If we will come into a right relationship with God, through His grace, we will find what every person throughout history has been searching.  "But seek ye first the kingdom of Heaven, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)