Psalm 105:43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,
    his chosen ones with shouts of joy.

This Psalm is another one of many that recount the history of Israel, but in contrast to some of the others, it focuses entirely on the good stuff. Some might say that’s unrealistic, but focusing only on the bad is even worse! It reminds me of the popular song from some years back, “Those Were the Days,” that speaks of remembering only the enjoyable things. If we do that too much, we won’t learn from our past mistakes, but if we focus only on the bad, we forget that God is loving and gracious, and we close our heart to Him. That is tragic! This verse is used as the first line of a little chorus from about 50 years ago that includes several of the verses ahead of this to make a very cheery, encouraging song. Sometimes we need exactly that! God does require repentance, but He intends joy for His people, and we need to trust Him for that and receive the joy.

I get irritated by things like everyone else, but the Lord has trained me over the years to come back to my awareness of His loving grace. A couple of years ago I was talking with a fellow pastor about having forgiven someone who had slandered me badly, and he said, “You have more faith than I do!” I don’t know if my optimism is genuinely the result of faith, or simply a personality trait, but I do know that at one point in my life I was depressed to the point of wanting to die. That’s no fun! At this point I need to be careful not to feel “superior” to others who aren’t optimistic, because their faith is at times deeper than mine. I’m reminded of C. S. Lewis’ character Puddleglum, in the Narnia series, who was a terrible pessimist but was one of the most dependable people you could find. At the same time, I do feel that expecting good is a much more enjoyable way to live life!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all the good things You’ve done so far on this trip. Thank You that we’ll be heading on to our next stop today. We’ll be doing things and going places that are new to us. Help us not get lost, on any level, but be and do what You desire, on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!