Session 15

How to celebrate life, even when it sucks

From Exodus: A 34-Day Devotional

In today’s society, we find ourselves celebrating so many things. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, the victories of our favorite football team, a good grade on a test...the list goes on and on. It’s so easy to celebrate something that goes in our favor, and we often remember to thank God for His goodness when things are going right.

In Exodus 15, Moses and the Israelites sing a song to the Lord in celebration and thanksgiving of their escape from the Egyptians through the Red Sea. Verse 2 states, “The Lord is my strength and my defense: he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” It’s so easy to remember that God is the reason for anything good in our lives when everything is good. When we’ve experienced a victory, it’s easy to praise and thank Him and give Him the glory.

But what happens when things aren’t so good? Where is our urge to give thanksgiving and praise to God when a loved one is dying, our car breaks down at the worst possible time, or our marriage is falling apart? How can we thank God for being good when we just don’t see the good?

Exodus 15:13 says about the Lord, “In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.” As Christians, we have the ability to trust in God in the good times and bad because we know God’s love never fails. He is always leading us to something better than we could ask or imagine. His plan for us is great, and He will always bring good out of every situation. Praising Him and thanking Him even through the trying times will help give us clarity and discernment, and it will remind us that God really is good all the time.

Reflect:

• Do you find it difficult to praise and thank God when times are hard? How can you begin to give Him thanksgiving even when things don’t seem to be going the right way?
• How do you think your perspective of God could change if you began to praise Him in all circumstances?
• Take some time today to thank God for the good in your life, and ask Him to show you the good in the situations that may be trying.