The word “blessed” contains the meaning of “happy.” Scripture talks much about being “happy” (Acts 26:2; Rom 14:22; James 5:11; 1 Peter 4:14). If you really study God’s will for his people, you’ll see that man’s happiness is very important to Him.
It is astonishing that you think so little of God that you think he is not interested in your happiness. Yet He sent his Son to give you ALL that He has. We were made in His image - hello? We have feelings of happiness because God made us that way - in His image (1 John 4:17).
“If you really study God’s will for his people, you’ll see that man’s happiness is very important to Him.”
Sadly, those who are blinded by religious legalism may never realize that.
Ah, dear friend - there is much truth in what you say. But it is a very shallow description of the truth.
The clarification that is needed is that there are two kinds of happiness/blessing.
One is that which the the unbeliever, the world knows. It is a blessing and happiness that comes from one’s circumstances and is dependent on material things, externals, and even very good things like family and friendships. Health and wealth.
Jesus blew that definition of happiness and blessing to smithereens in Matt. 5:3 - 12 and the corresponding verses in Luke. His whole point was that the blessing and happiness of God was of another realm, and a result of the relationship with God Himself - and not due to circumstances. The religious Pharisees had their understanding of blessing and happiness - defined by externals. Jesus clearly destroyed this view.
What He communicated in these verses is repeated throughout the NT - “Silver and gold have I none - but such as I have give I thee .....rise up and walk.....” Paul & Silas singing in jail where they possibly faced torture and death.
In fact, Jesus mildly rebuked John the Baptist when, imprisoned, not knowing what he faced, waivered in his faith in the Lord to where he asked, “Are you really the Messiah?” after having proclaimed his Messiahship loudly and strongly for a long time. John’s mindset had apparently become, “How could this be happening to me if Jesus really is the Messiah? This isn’t what I expected....” To which Jesus responded, “Blessed is he who is not offended in Me....”.......when things don’t turn out like you expected, and the going gets rough.
Was John blessed? Yes. Happy? No. Were Paul & Silas blessed? Yes. Happy? Yes - but only in the Lord. Not based on circumstances which change like the wind. Sometimes we are happy due to externals - sometimes the externals make typical happiness impossible.
Are we still blessed in the Lord if everything is going wrong? Yes. We are blessed with every blessing that is in Christ. It’s a fact.
There is no man alive more blessed than I am. Above and beyond imagination. But not because of my circumstances. Because I am in Christ, and am one of His beloved’s.
The error is to equate what the world and unbelievers call happy with what the NT calls happy - blessed.
Paul wrote of once despairing even of life itself, and “to this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed and are roughly treated, and are homeless.” II Corin. 4:7-10 is revealing of true blessedness: “ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God, and NOT of ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, THAT THE LIFE OF JESUS ALSO MAY BE MANIFESTED IN OUR BODY.”
This is the blessedness and happiness of the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of this earth.
Even more are described in the Hebrews 11 “hall of faith” who wholly contradict the shallow, worldly view of happiness and blessedness (36-39), after a list of those who lived great victories of faith that we all want to live and be - a list that turns to faith and blessings of another kind: “and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And ALL THESE, HAVING GAINED APPROVAL through their faith, DID NOT RECEIVE WHAT WAS PROMISED.” They received it not in this life - but in the next.
In fact, this passage best describes the life of our Lord Jesus - our example. Yes, He never ceased to be blessed and happy - except perhaps in Gethsemane and on the cross - but He was always in the center of His Father’s will.
A whole different aspect too long to address is the groaning and agony that are the calling and the life of an intercessor before God who cries out to Him day and night over either the lost in the world or over the terrible, sad condition of God’s church today that has no spiritual depth or character, that lives and looks just like the unbelieving world, that is dominated by leaders who lust for power, position, control and glory like Diotrophes who “loved first place among the brethren.” Such people literally agonize in prayer because they share the very agony found in God’s heart for His own. Is this the “happiness” as defined by the world?
No. The “happy and blessed” of the New Covenant is something completely different from and in contrast to the world’s definition of the word.