Rejoice In Every Good Thing

“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.” (De 26:11 AV)

There is so much packed into this little verse.  There is an assumption made that God does and will give good things.  This need not be proven.  This is an absolute that we assume to be true.  Second, the good thing which the LORD gives, He gives to the house and the stranger as well.  The good thing given to us is also enjoyed by those with whom we have to do.  The word ‘every’ preceding the good thing suggests there is far more than one good thing.  It is the word ‘rejoice’ that caught my eye this morning.  It seems as though we are doing less and less of this these days.  The world tries to convince us we should be worried, anxious, and miserable.  It then attempts to provide the answer through mankind’s efforts to make life better.  Whether it is an empty promise of a leader, a new drug, or some new possession, the world tears us down and then tries to build us back up in its image.  We are far more blessed than we realize.  It would behoove us to take stock of just how many good things God has given and instead of complaining about that which we do not have, rather, rejoice in how good God has been to us.

Sometimes, it is the simplest of things that remind us of how good God is and has been, to us.  Growing up, my father bought an abandoned potato farm and turned it into a camping wilderness.  He planted hundreds, if not a thousand, pine trees on his little plot of land. He had a half-acre pond dug and stocked it with pan fish.  Eventually, there would be a cabin built there.  It has been more than thirty-five years since I have been there, and before he died, my Dad sold it off.  I have lived in five different counties and four different states.  The last time I went back to my home state was six years ago.  We went back a few weeks ago and my father-in-law took us to an amazing place for breakfast.  This place is only open for two months while the maple tree sap is running.  Their promotion is buckwheat pancakes and homemade syrup.  I am not a big fan of pancakes, but these were amazing.  This place was only five miles from my father’s tree farm.  So, my gracious father-in-law took us there.  I had mixed feelings about going there and was too afraid being there would stir some memories I fought hard to suppress.  However, I was pleasantly surprised at how I felt.  Of all the memories I had of that place, there is one that stuck out in my mind.  It was the one thing about that place that brought me back to fond memories.  Believe it or not, it was the wind.  The wind, as it traveled through those high scotch pines, made a unique sound.  It is hard to explain because there is no other sound like it.  That sound and smell of the pines is what calmed a young man’s heart.  That sound was comforting and relaxing.  Many nights I would fall asleep with the wind whipping through those pines.  It reminded me of how good life can be.  And we owe it all to the LORD.

Life will always have deep waters.  Until eternity, mankind is foolish to think he can have a life free of all ills.  Because we introduced sin into God’s creation, we have to suffer trouble while in the flesh.  There is no escape from it.  This doesn’t mean the saint must live without joy.  The balance is remembering just how good God is, has been, and will be.  I will eternally thank the LORD for the sound of the whispering winds.  I will praise Him for the calming sound of His breath chasing through the mighty trees.  They swayed.  They moved.  The wind was indiscernible outside of the swaying trees and the whispering noise of the wind.  It was like God was speaking in a still small voice that all is well and even if we cannot feel the wind on our faces, He was still involved in our lives.  What a reminder of the ever-present God we love.  We may not always discern His hand, but have no doubt, that He is always active.  I am never alone.  God is always working.  Let us rejoice in the goodness of our LORD!