Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad Today
By Tom Stolle

I’ve had the pleasure of attending a few milestone church anniversary celebrations this year. Middle River Baptist Church and Colonial Baptist Church, Randallstown, both celebrated 80 years. Elders Baptist Church, Sykesville, celebrated 60 years.

It was a joy to attend these celebrations and hear the stories of some of the great things God has done in and through these churches! They have endured hard times and seasons of struggle, yet at these gatherings, there was overwhelming joy. The pain of the hard times and struggles was not the focus. The focus was on what God has done. God has continued to raise the churches up to be lights to their communities and to point to Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.

While they no doubt remember the pain of the hard times, they gathered to celebrate victory in Jesus and to thank Him for decades of Kingdom advance through the church.

This has me thinking about taking the time to celebrate what God is doing in our lives. Often, we are good at celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, promotions, and significant accomplishments. These are wonderful life events that should be celebrated. But there is so much more!

I believe life should be celebrated daily. The Bible says in Psalm 118:24 (ESV), This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Our celebration of life shouldn’t be dependent on circumstances. God wants us to rejoice in all seasons of life, no matter what may come our way. We all know there are times when things are incredibly hard, sometimes so difficult we may feel like we can barely put one foot in front of the other. The author of Psalm 118 includes earlier in this same Psalm verses that say:

Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. — Psalm 118:5 (ESV)

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. — Psalm 118:13 (ESV)

The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. — Psalm 118:18 (ESV)

In the same Psalm in which we are told to rejoice, we also read the words “distress,” “pushed hard,” “falling,” and “disciplined.” Life can be difficult. We experience the reality of a fallen world every day. Every. Single. Day.

You may say, “You don’t know what I’m going through.” You would be correct. I don’t know. What I can tell you is this: I know what I have gone through and what I am going through. In other words, I know my story. Some seasons have been filled with peace and rest, and others have brought intense pain and suffering. But in all seasons, God has never let me down. He’s never left. Jesus is a friend who is closer than a brother.

Did I feel like rejoicing every day when things were most difficult? Nope, not even close. However, I needed to experientially learn that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on what happens in our daily lives. God is always faithful. There are always reasons to celebrate, to thank God for what He has done. We don’t have to wait for special days to rejoice. I had to learn to be a better rejoicer! I had to learn to celebrate what some would consider to be insignificant, because those things—some would see as insignificant in seasons of struggle—were major blessings for me.

Looking back on the hard times, I can see God provided so much. There was so much I could have celebrated, and despite the pain, so many reasons to rejoice! I pray that in the inevitable hard times that will come, I will not forget the lessons learned.

God says, THIS is the day that the Lord has made; let us REJOICE and be GLAD in it. Today is that day. Tomorrow will be that day. Two days from now will be that day. Every day, despite our circumstances, God wants us to rejoice and be glad in it.

Tom Stolle serves as the BCM/D Executive Director and CFO.