One of the most striking phrases in the Declaration of Independence appears at the end of its opening statement: “the pursuit of happiness.” But what does that mean? At first glance, it can seem subjective since what brings happiness to one person may not bring happiness to another. After nearly 250 years of pursuing it, however, it is worth asking: are Americans any happier? When we look around, we see stress, anxiety, anger, and despair more often than joy. The news rarely highlights happy people; instead, it focuses on pain, conflict, and hardship. So, when our Founding Fathers named “the pursuit of happiness” as a fundamental American right, could they have meant something more objective? Could they have understood that true happiness rests on something deeper? I believe they did.

In our text this Sunday, Psalm 33:12 we read those famous words “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” The word “blessed” is interchangeable with the word “happy.” That verse could read “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord.” I think it is safe to say that our founding fathers wanted the people of this nation to know the blessing of God Almighty upon it and there is no better passage in the Bible to describe the blessing of God on a nation than Psalm 33. Could it be that this very passage was the background to that statement? Sunday, when we dive into Psalm 33 we will see this promise of blessing (happiness) on a nation is anything but subjective. The psalmist lays out a clear path to follow if we want to know the blessing of God and the happiness that comes with it. 

Are you a happy person? You can be. God wants you to be happy and it was part of the dream of what America should be for all the people. Join me this Sunday for the second message in the Series “Celebrating 250 Years of Faith and Freedom” as we consider the Pursuit of Happiness.