What Most People Want Out of Life

What do we want out of life? Ultimately, most people are looking for happiness and meaning. These seem to be fleeting for too many of us. Like the country troubadour who went “looking for love in all the wrong places,” we go searching for happiness in all the wrong places.

Where We Go Looking for Happiness

Some of us search for happiness in relationships. I’ve seen countless people who thought they would be happy if they could just find the right partner. Others search for happiness in things that money can buy: a new car, a nicer home, or the latest gadget. Often there is a satisfaction in these things for a short time, but it rarely lasts long. Relationships ebb and flow.

Things that Don’t Satisfy

The “perfect” partner isn’t the answer. No other person can truly make us happy or give us purpose. That new car is wonderful, until the “new car smell” fades and next year’s model provides an upgrade. Many of us love our new iWhatever until the manufacturer produces a slick new version that has some feature that we think we must have. Lasting happiness will never be found in these things.

Who CAN Put Joy in Your Heart

David provided the answer to this essential question in Psalms 4. He noted that the LORD is the one who puts joy in his heart. The psalmist posed the question this way, “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us anything good?” David then looks to the Lord and says, “Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord. You have put the joy in my heart.” The joy that comes from the Lord is greater than a plentiful harvest that causes wealth to flow. We will find lasting joy and meaning in life when we look to the one who created us, knows our needs, and can put that joy in our hearts.

Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good?”
Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord.
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and new wine abound.
I will both lie down and sleep in peace,
For you alone, LORD, make me live in safety.

– Psalm 4:6-8 CSB (Christian Standard Bible)