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God has spoken to me recently and it came in the form of a bit of a tongue lashing.
It came when I read an old Sunday School memory verse. It is one of those verses that is so well known and put to so many daggy songs that it almost lost it’s meaning to me.
The verse is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
I have found myself lately becoming somewhat consumed by my circumstances (despite the fact that I regularly Ramble about not doing that very thing – sorry). I have found that my joy has been stolen as a result.
Strike that, I have found that I gave away my joy as a result.
But when I read this particular verse, I noticed one little word that gave it great meaning to me right now where I am at. That word is “will”. We WILL rejoice.
It could not be written any clearer. The word “will” is a command. It doesn’t say “could” or “should” or “might” or even “if you feel like it”. It says “will”.
I have had more than one crappy day recently (as I am sure most of us have). And let me tell you, I have not rejoiced in them.
Indeed, my version of this verse goes more like “This is the day that the Lord has made and my reactions and attitudes will be based on whether or not I like what He has made for me this day. If I don’t like it, I will act like a petulant child.” (not as poetic as the Psalmist but you get the point).
Or, another version goes “This is the day which the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it if God does what I want Him to.”
This is not how God works. He is not asking us to rejoice if He does as He is told or meets certain KPI’s in our lives. He is flat out telling us to rejoice in that which He has given us. He gave us this day, and if we are in His will and under his protection then that which He brings along (be it good or bad according to our flawed human thinking), we will rejoice and be glad in it.
I know that this is a tough concept. It is the “upside down” world of God in action again. Our human thinking says that we will rejoice when we get what we want and the universe once again exists as me as the epicentre. I will rejoice when I get what I want, after all I know best.
The God thinking is the opposite to that. I will rejoice because my life is in God’s hands and what I have been given by him is sufficient and even abundant – even if the world says it isn’t.
It is one of those situations where our spiritual eyes need to play the leading role because we can’t trust what we see with our human eyes.
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