Keys to Happiness

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Happiness is something everyone wants, but few are able to find and keep. What does God want us to know about true happiness—and where to find it?

Psalm 37:1-4, 10-11, 16-17

(English Standard Version)

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart . . .

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace . . .

Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

Starter Questions

1. What are three things that make you happy in life? What are three things that make you unhappy?
    
2. Going back to your answers to question 1, why do those things make you happy or unhappy?
    
3. Proverbs 14:13 shows us that happiness in this life can come and go. Is it reasonable to expect to be happy all the time? Why or why not?
    
4. Why do you think God allows His people to experience sadness, even while they are obeying Him?
    
5. Many of the Hebrew and Greek words translated “happy” also mean “blessed.” Where does happiness come from?
    
6. How does feeling entitled to constant happiness change how we view ourselves? The trials in our lives? God?
    
7. James mentioned being joyful because of (not in spite of) trials (James 1:2-4). What is it about trials that ought to bring us joy?
    
8. Psalm 4 talks about finding happiness in God after a distressful trial. What does this psalm suggest are important prerequisites for being happy?
    
9. Ecclesiastes chronicles the years King Solomon spent pursuing happiness from worldly things, only to ultimately call it “vanity and grasping for the wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). What does “the conclusion of the whole matter” in Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 tell us about the best way to find happiness in life?
    
10. The quality of our happiness depends on the source of our happiness. What examples can you think of that show the difference between happiness found in the world and happiness found in God?
     
11. Going back to your answers to question 1, are there any answers you feel should be changed or updated?