Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.

---

Read

Psalm 149 (NRSV)

Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
to execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the LORD!

---

Reflect

I like parties and celebrations! I like them so much that we even had a Celebration Team at the school where I worked. The Celebration Team looked for reasons to celebrate and then planned a party!

This passage begins and ends with God’s faithful praising God with singing, dancing, and the playing of instruments. What catches my attention, though, is verse 4: “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people”

Read that verse again. “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people.” Let the words wash over you, envelope you, and fill every ounce of your being. The Lord takes pleasure in you.

I don’t know what your daily life experiences are, but my days are filled with the unexpected. I do my best to serve those who are broken, struggling, and tired. I make decisions based on what is in the best interest of the people involved, which may not be the most popular choice. I am not perfect. I make mistakes. I struggle. I laugh. I grow. I choose to learn from my experiences and grow as an educator. And in all of this chaos that is me, God, who is perfect, takes pleasure in me!

If you are God’s, God takes pleasure in you—the one who is growing, learning, and serving—the one who makes mistakes, but doesn’t give up—the one who sees to the needs of others before seeing to the needs of oneself. God takes pleasure in you. Folks, this is a reason to celebrate!

---

Pray

Forgive us for getting bogged down in our circumstances and not praising you for being Lord over our circumstances. Remind us that there is always a reason to celebrate. Even when no one else expresses pleasure for the person we are, you find pleasure in us…and that is a reason to celebrate! Amen.

Go with God.