Beatitudes #1—Chaotic Happiness

When God created us, he desired, above all, that we would experience his holiness—his infinite, unexcelled, and irreplaceable worth—as he did good things for us, and through us for others. The biblical word for enjoying such fellowship with God is ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ or ‘fortunate,’ depending on  the translation we read. Sometimes this word indicates our condition when God is working for our benefit in some way. Sometimes it indicates how good life is when we are living in a way that is consistent with being his representative in creation, a way that demonstrates how glorious he is. We celebrate statements depicting different aspects of this happiness by calling them ‘beatitudes.’ Besides the nine most famous ones that occur in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, God’s spokesmen have provided many more that will strengthen our hearts as we consider them carefully and apply them to our lives.

Fortunate are those who take pleasure in Yahweh’s instructions so they meditate on them day and night. They will be like trees that are planted by channels of water so that they yield fruit in season and are always green. All these people do will ultimately prosper. Psalm 1:1–3

Complexity requires us to concentrate. Tic-tac-toe is simple; chess is complex. To enjoy the happiness of success in chess, we must know the rules and principles that govern the game and concentrate intensely while we play. Life is even more complex; indeed, life is complicated. While the complications and complexities of life seem chaotic, carefully following God’s instructions will generate good results and energize us in the process. Joseph modeled this as he responded to his desperate circumstances by faithfully loving God and his neighbors—especially the annoying ones. Jesus’ life is similar. Despite all of the distractions he encountered, he remained focused on his task, remembered the fundamental commands, and relied on the Father’s provision. Then just before his death and resurrection, he reiterated the psalmist’s blessing. He promised all of his disciples that if we retain his words and follow his example, we will have access to all of the resources we’ll need to succeed in the service we provide to others in his name. And, he promised not to leave us alone in our efforts. He gave us the Holy Spirit to enable us to see the truth of his life and the error of those who oppose him, so that we too can faithfully love God and our neighbors—especially the annoying ones—in all of life’s chaos.

O Lord, deal bountifully with me. If you open my eyes, I will pay attention to the wondrous things in your instructions to me.