[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 05/Nov/2023]
Have you ever encountered people who remind you of Victor Meldrew, the TV character who managed to be the ‘poster boy’ for grumpiness? People to whom who if you said “Good Morning”, would probably reply “what’s so good about it?”
Perhaps we should take that not as a rude reply, but rather, as a challenge to us to be able to tell them why it is a good morning. Are there things you can think of as you start the day which help you realise that it is indeed a good one?
In the book of Psalms, we are told that “This is the day that the Lord has made – we will rejoice and be glad in it”.[1] There will definitely be days when you do not feel able to do this however. Things happening in the world around us, or things happening in our personal lives at that particular time may make our truthful greeting not “Good morning”, but rather, “not such a good morning is it?”.
More often than not though, even on the not so good days, there are still things to be thankful for. I was driving to work early one morning and the full moon was still bright in the sky, a wonderful sight to behold. Soon, it was covered by clouds, and then shortly after, the clouds swept past and the moon was there to see again. It struck me that the moon had still been there, even when it was obscured by the clouds. We need to remember that the afflictions we have are temporary. God’s grace and his blessings are there, even though our circumstances might temporarily make it seem as if they aren’t.
There is a lovely story in the Bible about the prophet Elisha and his servant. They are surrounded by a hostile army and Elisha’s servant is scared and is in despair. The passage, in 2 Kings 6: 13-17, says:
Early the next morning in Dothan, when Elisha’s servant went outside, he saw troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. He and Elisha were completely surrounded by enemy forces intent on killing them. The servant flew into a state of panic and cried out to Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
When we realise that God’s blessings in our lives are more than the troubles and strife that we face, we will indeed be able to say “Good morning”, and also be able to tell people why.
Resources:
[1]: Psalm 118 v24 [NKJV]
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Last week’s reflection: The Church In The Way? by Dennis Ginter
Contributed by David Makanjuola; © David Makanjuola