“Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Happiness is hard to come by. It seems so fickle. And fleeting. The moment I feel happy, I start worrying about what’s next.

It makes me think how I could never enjoy a sunny day when I lived in Seattle. The sunshine made me panicky because I felt I had to do something worthy of the weather, like a hike or a boat ride or something outdoors at least. I knew it was a rare and precious treat so I couldn’t be happy just to look out my window and appreciate the view.

And when I was growing up in Wisconsin, I couldn’t enjoy summer because winter was next. And winter in Wisconsin was an ominous prospect. Spring was always my favorite, even though it was often a muddy, foggy time, simply because I still had summer to look forward to.

The kind of happiness that the Psalmist is talking about in today’s verse isn’t like that. It’s not fleeting or fragile. Because it’s centered on God not on temporary moments of pleasure. God is the opposite of temporary. He calls Himself I AM because He always was and always will be. He just IS.

That kind of permanence is something worthy of tying my happiness hopes to. If I follow His wise decrees and seek to have a relationship with Him, He promises to be with me. Always. Guiding, teaching, leading, and loving. I don’t need to panic because He won’t suddenly go behind the clouds like Seattle’s shy sun. And He doesn’t have seasons where He is cold for months on end like Wisconsin winters.

God is always my sunny summer.

Dear God,

Thank you for always being here. Thank you just for always being. Your permanence is so comforting. I know if I tie my happiness to my relationship with you, I will always be happy. Forgive me for relying on temporary, unreliable things more than I rely on you. Teach me how to value your word and your presence more than anything else in my life.