In our religious or personal activities, we are used to the idea of worshipping God, taking a time of reverence and thankfulness. But the idea of ”celebrating God” is a little less common and perhaps even a little misunderstood.
It was the excuse given by God to get His people out of Egypt. “after Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go so they may hold a feast for me in the desert.’” (Exodus 5:1 NCV) . In Leviticus, God decrees all kinds of festivals. Jesus’ first miracle took place at a wedding feast (John 2). God loves celebrations and rejoicing; He is even “joyful” when He thinks of His people (Zephaniah 3:17).
We will rejoice in the church, but most of the time we need a reason to do so. We can throw a thanksgiving party because we are thankful to God for answering our prayer, and that’s great! We should always be thankful for everything we receive from God. If we take the time to thank God for all that He has given us, we won’t have time to complain.
Now, God never said that we should only celebrate if we have a good reason to do it! “I am still single, I have debts and I just lost my job: I have no reason to celebrate.” But God never said to only celebrate when we are in victory! “Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy” (Philippians 4:4 NCV). Paul was saying this to a new church that was being persecuted. Was he insensitive to their suffering? Of course not! But he knew there was power in the celebration.
It’s good to fast and humble yourself before God. But even Jesus did not fast more than 40 days! “There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 NCV). Yes, life is difficult and we have challenges and disasters to face. But God does not want His people to walk with a long, defeated face. What father would want this for their children?! We must reintroduce celebration into our lives! We should draw the attention of the unsaved people around us because we are happy. “Why are you so happy, with everything that is going on in your life and the world?” - “I am joyful because I have joy in me!” We do not need a reason to be joyful, we have the fruit of the Spirit which is joy (Galatians 5:22).
“Good people, rejoice and be happy in the Lord. Sing all you whose hearts are right” (Psalm 32:11 NCV). What does it mean to be happy in the Lord? A Christian children’s song says that praising God is like saying “Yippy! Yahoo! Way to go, God!” Way to go, for what? For everything! It’s not difficult for fans to celebrate the victory of their favorite sports team. Even if it was not them personally that scored the winning goal! And this victory does not give them anything financially, on the contrary, they often spend significant amounts of money to attend those games. Even if our life does not seem to be moving forward, we should rejoice just looking at the victories our brothers and sisters experience, instead of envying or criticizing them! “Be happy with those who are happy…” (Romans 12:15a NCV).
Are you drowning in trouble right now? Stand up, raise your hands to the sky, and shout: “Way to go, God”! He is not the one that sent you this suffering: He wants the best for you. It is a very difficult exercise to rejoice through tribulations (Luke 6:22-23). At first, you might do it without really believing it, but keep dancing and celebrating your God. Your celebration will break the bonds that hold you back, as was the case with Paul and Silas (Acts 16). It was by walking with trumpets and shouting that the walls of Jericho fell (Joshua 6).
You do not need a reason (or alcohol) to rejoice. Today, let’s celebrate God just because He is our God. “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live” (Psalm 104:33 NCV).