December 18
God! Let people thank and enjoy you. Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Let all far-flung people become happy and shout their happiness
because you judge them fair and square, you tend to far-flung peoples.
Psalm 67:3-4 The Message
A New Kind of Happiness
The holidays are a difficult time for a lot of people. Maybe a loved one is missing from your table this year. Maybe the stress of gathering with extended family is dampening your spirits. Maybe the season of togetherness is reminding you of just how lonely you are right now.
This passage reminds us of the bigger picture. It calls us to enjoy God, to rejoice in the grace and blessing (Psalm 67:1) of God’s touch. We are all far-flung people. We fall short, we sin, we experience unimaginable loss. But, God tends to far-flung peoples. God tends to us in whatever shape we are in and through His son, whom we celebrate especially in this season, our burdens are no longer ours to bear. We are judged fair and square. We are loved all the more deeply in our far-flung-edness.
It is hard to be far-flung and maybe the instruction to shout with happiness feels out of reach. But, this Psalm is not asking us to be happy in the worldy sense, that superficial, fleeting exuberance we all seem to chase. No, we are being invited to rest joyfully in the assurance of God’s loving care. May that be enough.
Prayer: Dear God, We thank you for this time of year and for your son, Jesus Christ. We ask that you would hold us through the difficulty of this season, in the weight of being far-flung. And let us find peace in being held, may it reveal in us a new kind of happiness. Amen.
Hayden Creech
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