Celebration

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10

Celebration is talked about quite a bit throughout the Bible, and it is usually brought up around the topics of different festivals. Festivals were times that God had established to take a break, have some fun, reflect, and worship Him. God knows that we need to take moments to stop. And as the action to that understanding of the human condition, God established opportunities to stop working and have fun. Is that a weird concept to think about? God likes fun? You bet he does! Have you ever played fetch with your dog and experience the joy they get out of going after that ball over and over again? Or maybe you’ve seen your cat mess around trying to catch a laser pointer. Especially when they run into the wall :) I’m just kidding. The point is, these animals understand fun, they are God’s creation. We are God’s creation! And we should get fun. But God had to go a step farther with us and set up moments where we actually are encouraged to stop, reflect, and have fun. It’s a celebration!

As we have finished our fast TODAY, let us thank God for giving us the strength to get through it. Let us praise Him for the answered prayers. And let us worship God for who He is. My hope for all of us, in this time, is that we can take a moment to celebrate. It’s important for our well being and celebration is a gift from the Lord.

Father God, thank you for your gift of celebration. Thank you for creating in us a desire for fun. Help me find and create moments to stop and delight. You are so good! Amen