“This is the day the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). This verse is so oft-repeated, especially during the Thanksgiving season, that it’s been drained of some of its gripping power. Some might breathe a sigh of relief as this month gives way to the next, as if to say, “Now that November has passed, I can stop being thankful.” But November was never intended to be our single month of thanksgiving each year. Rather, it stands as a reminder of what we should be doing each and every day.
James Madison once said, “No people ought to feel greater obligations to celebrate the goodness of the Great Disposer of Events and of the Destiny of Nations than the people of the United States…He protected and cherished them under all the difficulties and trials to which they were exposed in their early days.” And not only in the early days, but now as well. We’ve braved the pandemic, protests, and politics of these past couple years, and we’re still here. We’re still breathing, when so many millions are not.
As we sliced the turkey and shoveled food onto our plates earlier this week, I had a new appreciation for the simple things. Food and family, camaraderie and champagne, laughter and love all make life worth living.
This coming week, we return to work, school, and stress. Life will flood back in. But let’s not let it drown out our many reasons for gratitude. For this is still the day the LORD has made!
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
November is the month of gratitude. Ever year we take this opportunity to commemorate God’s goodness over the past ten months. But I’ve been wondering, does that make sense in 2021?
By early October, more people had died from COVID this year than in 2020. Our great nation has wrought tragedy in Afghanistan and at the border. Wildfires, hurricanes, and earthquakes have shaken countries across the globe. And the pangs of injustice continue to reverberate as jury selection for Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting stumbles along.
On a personal note, 2021 has been one of my most brutal years yet. Crippling heartbreak, debilitating loneliness, and mind-snapping stress all marked this past year for me. I resonate deeply with the laments of Jeremiah in his heart-rending Lamentations: “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me” (Lamentations 3:19-20).
And so, I ask again, does gratitude make sense this year?
Though Trials Should Come
My question rests upon the false premise that ease is normal and suffering abnormal. I grew up in a happy, upper-middle class home in Hispanic suburbia. I never wanted for food or home. I wasn’t bullied at school, and I succeeded academically. This blissful bubble was part of the reason why I was shocked by the hardships I experienced in college, grad school, and beyond.
Jesus Himself said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33). The apostles added, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). And Apostle Paul concluded, “You know that we are destined for such troubles” (1 Thessalonians 3:3). The overwhelming assertion of the Bible is that life on this earth will be filled with grueling challenges and soul-rending let downs.
Whatever My Lot
And yet, we often forget this because we swim in the deep seas of God’s benevolent mercies. Matthew 5:45 says, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” It’s only when the sun fails and the rain dries up that we look up, remember God, and curse Him.
Many days I found myself face down in the carpet, crying out to God to relieve my romantic anguish. But only from that low vantage point could I see with new appreciation the ready acceptance and love I receive from my friends and family. Only when I was cooped up in my apartment for several agonizing months did I realize how much I took for granted the weekly graces of church and fellowship. Suffering did not black out my reasons for gratitude but threw them in stark relief.
It Is Well
I remember the story of Horatio Spafford, a successful lawyer and businessman who lived a couple hundred years ago. He had it all, a loving family and a thriving company. But then, in an instant, he didn’t.
First, his young son died of pneumonia. Then the great Chicago fire decimated his business. Then a day before Thanksgiving Day 1873, he lost all four of his daughters in a horrendous ocean liner accident.
On his way to his grieving wife, he penned these famous words: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”
I’ve come to believe that gratitude is less a product of our physical position than our spiritual perspective. Yes, these past couple years have been terrible. But my God has been good. He was good to me before 2020, and He’s been good to me during 2021. And He will continue to be good to me next year and forevermore.
“Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.”
For Part 1 on “A Foundation of Rejoicing and Regret”, click here; Part 2 on “Expecting Much but Finding Little”, click here; Part 3 on “A Tearful Thanksgiving”, click here.
The book of Psalms is the Christian poster child of the Thanksgiving season. These poems have greatly cheered my soul and contain rich wisdom for us during this holiday season.
A Faithful God
In Psalm 89, a psalmist named Ethan the Ezrahite extols the faithfulness of God: “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations…. ‘I have found David My servant; with My sacred oil I have anointed him… I will maintain My love to him forever, and My covenant with him will never fail’” (Psalm 89:1, 20, 28 NIV).
The psalmist rejoiced in the LORD’s unchanging character. God promised that He’d be with the Israelites and with their king, David. He vowed they’d be His people and He’d be their God forever (2 Samuel 7:24).
A Quenching Tsunami
Yet the psalmist’s joy was quenched by the harsh tsunami of reality: “But You have rejected, You have spurned, You have been very angry with Your anointed one…How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will Your wrath burn like fire…Lord, where is Your former great love, which in Your faithfulness You swore to David” (Psalm 89:38, 46, 49 NIV)?
Many of us may share this same sentiment. We live in a nation known for the blessing of the LORD, yet America is being ravaged by a resurgent virus. God seems to be pouring out His wrath full blast upon us. Where is His right hand of blessing, His strong arm of salvation, the comfort of His presence? Where is His faithfulness?
A Healing Punishment
Bridging the psalmist’s song of praise and his lament of sorrow are these four verses: “If his children forsake My law and do not walk according to My rules, if they violate My statutes and do not keep My commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I will not remove from him My steadfast love or be false to My faithfulness” (Psalm 89:30-33 ESV).
Discipline is never welcome. A child will never thank their parents for being grounded, and a driver will never thank a cop for a speeding ticket. But its these very punishments that can heal our destructive habits. Judgment can sometimes be the only way to save us from ourselves.
Conclusion
Psalm 89 ends with “Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen” (Psalm 89:52 NIV). These words may seem misplaced, but they are truly fitting. The end result of a lesson well learned should be gratitude. The fire of discipline may be agonizing, but there is a bright future ahead for those who endure the flame.
“And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, ‘My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.’”
On my first attempt, I backed my dad’s Toyota Highlander into a parallel parking pole. My next time up, my early fumbles so frustrated my tester that after a couple right turns, she asked me to pull over. On my third try, I finally managed to exit the DMV, but I frightened my tester so much that she asked me to turn around. My fourth try, I made it through the entire course and received a 69 on my test, one point shy of the cutoff limit.
Be Vulnerable
After my first couple of tries, I was pretty confident that my failures were mere bumps on the road, but after my third attempt, I wasn’t so certain anymore.
The following Wednesday, I told a prayer partner about my dilemma and asked him to intercede with God on my behalf. He snickered as he prayed for me, and I did not pass my driving test the next time I took it, but this moment of vulnerability was an important turning point for me.
In our Photoshop-ed world of social media, we’ve been seduced by the illusion of the #perfectlife. We are so bombarded by posts and tweets of everyone else’s promotions, happy married lives, and angelic children that we can forget they are just as broken as we are. The apostle James said, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16 NLT).
The first step forward for must of us will be a step down. We must be willing to climb off our pedestals of whitewashed impeccability to make real breakthroughs in this life.
Appreciate Progress
I never once celebrated after failing my driving test. Of course, that is perfectly natural. Most normal people don’t celebrate mediocrity; we lament it. But I never stopped to realize how promising the trend in my driving life was. On my first try, I failed in one minute. On my last try, I failed by one point. Even if I hadn’t arrived, I should have at least seen that I was getting closer to my destination.
Zechariah 4:10 (NLT) says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” We should always strive for the gold in everything we do in life, but we should still thank God for the Honorable Mentions.
Don’t Give Up
I was distraught after my fourth driving test failure. I had given the test my best shot, and I was done putting myself through this ordeal: Clearing my schedule, waking up early, and subjecting myself to the scrutiny of a testy stranger. But if I had given up then, I would never had been able to drive myself to work, church, or my cousin’s baby dedication.
On my fifth try, a white-haired gentleman accompanied me. I nervously drove through the course, powered the car down, and waited for him to tally up my score. When he finished, he turned to me and said wearily, “You passed.” In fact, I received a 90!
Conclusion
I would never repeat that experience again, but that frustrating season served a critical function in my life. It cured me of a bit of my sense of entitlement. It taught me the importance of opening up to others. And I uniquely appreciate the privilege of driving down the interstate at 60 miles an hour.
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”
Millions of Americans will celebrate the Fourth of July today. Festive parades in the morning, sizzling barbecues in the afternoon, and booming fireworks in the evening commemorate this historic event. These traditions remind us of that fateful day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the course that liberated our nation bounded into motion.
As I reflected on the history of our nation, the history of another came to mind. Thousands of years ago, the Jewish race were also oppressed by a foreign nation: Egypt. Through a series of miraculous signs and wonders, God set the Jews free, and He charged them with annually celebrating the Passover to commemorate their Independence Day.
These distinct holidays serve the same purpose, instilling a culture of remembrance amongst their respective nations. However, with the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, it can be easy to gloss over these seasons of celebration. But remembrance is more than a luxury; it’s essential.
Remembrance Triggers Perspective
On the night of the first Passover, the LORD told Moses, “‘[W]hen your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians”‘” (Exodus 12:26-27 NIV). Just as the weighty significance of the Passover might be lost to some modern-day Jews, the gravitas of Independence Day can be drowned out by a shower of flashy festivities and good gravy. As Americans, we often take for granted our freedom of speech, press, religion, and many others. These freedoms were not given but seized on a bloody battlefield in a harrowing war.
Remembrance Kindles Gratitude
God often described the promised land He was leading His people into as a land “flowing with milk and honey”. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses refers to it as a wonderland of gushing springs, ripe pomegranates, and decadent honey (Deuteronomy 8:7-8). But something about widespread abundance tends to produce national amnesia (Deuteronomy 8:11-14).
Wealthy nations tend to thank their booming economies, vibrant population, and innovative policies for their success. They forget these are the products of their astute forefathers and the gracious God who orchestrated it all.
Remembrance Sparks Joy
In the book of 2 Chronicles, King Hezekiah reinstates the celebration of Passover, which through a string of ungodly kings and rampant idolatry had fallen by the wayside. 2 Chronicles 30:25-26 says, “The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced…for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” King Solomon’s reign ended around 927 BC, and King Hezekiah’s did not begin until 727 BC. So the Jewish people denied themselves this season of celebration for two hundred years!
We too can get so caught up in the business of life and worries about tomorrow that we forget to stop, drop, and relax. King Solomon himself said there was “a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to be sad and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 NIV).
I’m not minimizing the tragedies we are living through this year. I know a pandemic is raging and racial tensions are nearing their boiling point. But our country has also survived another year in spite of these stressors. This alone is reason enough to celebrate.
Conclusion
A spirit of remembrance is the broth that a worthwhile life marinates in. We must allow the glory of the past to sink into the meat of today. May we remember how God has blessed America, and from my family to yours, have a Happy Fourth of July!
“Then he said to them, ‘Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'”