Rejoice

Listen:

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”!  (Psalm 118:24) 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”.  (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-19)

Reflect:

My family lived in Greece for 8 years, to be close to Albania where we did ministry. The first word we learned in Greek was: “Efcharisto”, which means : thank you! 

The word “efcharisto” is also used for communion. “Eu-charis-teo” is the greek word for thankfulness, gratefulness. The hidden word “charis” stands for grace, a gift.  Jesus’ sacrifice was by grace alone, and freely given to us as a gift, what a blessing!! 

The word Eucharisteo is mentioned 37 times in the new testament, always in the context of thankfulness. 

We all know that Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks. Jesus was thankful despite the fact that He knew that suffering was ahead of Him. How can we be thankful in a moment of suffering?! 

Beside the word “charis”,  also the word “chara” is hidden in Eucharisteo. Which means “joy”.There must be a relation between being thankful and joy! 

Our daughter Sifra, who preached on this subject recently, remembered that Ann Voskamp had said during the Lifespring’s retreat, that when Jesus gave thanks for the five loaves of bread and two fishes, all of a sudden there was multiplication and yes, more than enough!  

Lately I lost my joy due to many difficult and complicated situations. I could not stop all the thoughts that ran through my head and I was agitated. So I joined a day of silence, to silence my soul and listen to that Voice that says : “You are my beloved daughter”. As outside the frost had covered the fields and the sheep, I felt that “the cold” had taken my joy away, and because of the time in silence, thankfulness rose up in me again! At the end of the day, when the frost outside was gone, my inner frost had melted too and I was flooded with joy!! 

What does this mean for all of us? 

God’s grace is sufficient. If we take time to make space, listen to His voice, we know that it’s all about grace, and  through Him, our response of thankfulness and joy will arise! 

Is it easy? No way! But let us train ourselves to send our thoughts to “heavenly places”, and become thankful. Joy will arise!!

Prayer of Response:

“Lord, we pray for those whose souls are affected by frost.. Come with the warmth of Your presence and defrost our hearts in order for joy to arise. Amen” 

—Submitted by Mathilde Companjen