Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. (Ezra 6:16)
AROUND TWENTY YEARS AGO, I was seated on the platform of the church I was pastoring. We sang “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” as a congregation that day as we dedicated a beautiful church construction project to God. I started to sing and broke down in tears. I couldn’t sing. I was so grateful for the mighty help of the Lord to get us to where we were as a church. I was also exhausted and a bit overwhelmed on the inside with the pressure of the project.
Reflecting on that modern-day construction project, I wonder what the celebration must have been like when God’s temple was finally completed. There were many doubters. There were many delays. It was a daunting task with so many godless people in power. The exiles must have been exhausted in more ways than one. Yet, they didn’t let all their emotions and setbacks stop them. God ordered it, and they accomplished it with his help leading the way.
Most of us need to do a better job celebrating God’s work in and around our lives. Perhaps the weight of responsibility or the next task can cause you to move too abruptly from celebrating God’s blessings in life. But taking time to pause, to reflect and rejoice at what God has done, is an important part of building our faith and remaining focused on God’s glory.
Celebrate God’s goodness often; to everything there is a season!
Jim Dunn is the vice president of church relations for the Wesleyan Investment Foundation. He resides in the Indianapolis area.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
