In God's law you will find yourself not in the company of the wicked but with the one person who can truly make you happy: Jesus Christ. He is the true righteous one of Psalm 1 (see 1 John 2:2). Just like he never kept company with the wicked, so he always delighted in God's law and Word. Already in his childhood, we find him in the temple, deeply engaged in the Word, asking questions and learning about God. That delight stayed with him in adulthood. He meditated on it day and night. When he was tempted in the desert, there—in God's law—he found strength and encouragement. His ministry revealed a deep and rich understanding of God's Word (think only of his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 – 7:29). It was the Word to which he went when he hung on that God-forsaken cross. Yes, Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of this psalm. It points us to him. And then how blessed and happy we are to be united to him by faith. In him is true and lasting happiness. We can even say that he is our happiness!
Young people, people of God, do not go looking for happiness in people who do not know the Lord. Do not try to find happiness in earthly possessions, in fame and fortune or food, in outward beauty or physical health, sports or anything else. Do not expect lasting happiness to be found in your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, or a friend. None of these is wrong to enjoy in its proper place and context, but each is the wrong place to find true and lasting happiness, contentment, and joy. That is the problem with the American dream. It assumes that happiness can be found in people and things. We expect from them what only God can give in Christ. That is why the American dream fails and makes you more miserable than ever. Joy, ultimate joy, lasting happiness can only be found in Jesus Christ. Jesus is your joy! Christ is your happiness!
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;