Revelry

“They reveled in your great goodness.”  Nehemiah 9:25

We should rarely stop smiling.

From the time we wake till we rest again—and even when we’re sleeping—we’re continually bombarded with divine blessings.  Air to breathe, food to eat, a place to lay our head, family to love, friends to cherish, freedom to come, go, worship, and work, and the unfailing and unending grace of our Heavenly Father.  No wonder our grins shouldn’t go away. Each day of our lives we should “revel in God’s great goodness”(Neh 9:25).

That’s what God’s people did when He brought them into the Promised Land.  In Nehemiah’s prayer of confession and commitment, he recounts that in Canaan, the Israelites “captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance.  They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness”(Neh 9:25).

To revel means to take great pleasure and delight, to exult in merry amazement, to rejoice in boisterous festivity and celebration, to be so absolutely overwhelmed by something so incredibly astounding that all you can do is simply bask in the blessing.  That’s what God’s people did then, and that’s what God’s people should do now.  Yes, difficult times will come. Yes, the future will seem uncertain.  Yes, storms will blow and seas will rage.  Yes, we will face sickness and sorrow. The routine will be monotonous and menial.  We will be disappointed, discouraged, and feel defeated, but in the middle of all the mess and marvels of life, God’s constant goodness is cause for merry amazement, boisterous celebration, and grateful basking.

Today, and every day, rejoice in God’s grace, rely on His love, and revel in His great goodness!