DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
WHERE ARE GOD’S PARTY PEOPLE? | Day 27 of 40 (LENT)

Another party?! Really?!

In one week, we’ve suggested “Eat, Drink & Be Merry!“, “Celebrate Life, Love & Birthdays!“, and have a “Great Rehearsal” of God’s great blessings!

Could we, God’s people, really be saying “party” again?!
Don’t worry. We haven’t become drunk off the Hollywood Kool-Aid and now all we want to do is Eddie-Murphy-‘Party-All-the-Time‘. But between family birthdays and the biblical texts, there’s just been reason after reason to celebrate.

And, here’s one more!

My baby brother and his wife had another baby boy yesterday, rounding off their family with three boys and a girl. So, now “Auntie Ima” (moi) has a total of seven nephews and four nieces. The miracle of life is so precious, and we thank God that daddy, mommy and baby are wonderful. Isn’t that a fantastic reason to do a happy dance?!

Why do we celebrate and have parties? Or tell our Facebook friends that it’s our birthday so they post well wishes on our walls? We could simply roll out of bed, not tell anyone, and let the day go by like every other day. But that doesn’t feel quite right, does it? When it’s our birthday, whether we party or not, there is something deep within us that says, “This day is important. We must do something to mark it. It’s cause for celebration.”

In a few months, my brother and his family will “dedicate” our new nephew and pray and speak blessings over him before the Lord during a dedication service. Dedications are important celebrations. Just like birthdays, they mark a special moment in time.

Nehemiah and the people of God understand the importance of celebrations when they complete rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Today, we see that they dedicate the wall during a great party with lots of fanfare, pomp and circumstance.

Forget Diddy’s White Party (the clothes are white). Or Elton John’s Oscar Party. Those have nothing on Judah! Nehemiah appoints two large choirs, leaders and people to walk on top of the walls singing and celebrating. It was more than a block party. It was a whole nation throw down. God’s people know how to party!

Day 27:
Read below: NEHEMIAH 12: 27-31, 38, 43
Entire Chapter: Nehemiah 12:27-47

27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall. 31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall… 38 The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall… 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

God’s people make so much noise partying over what God has done in helping them rebuild their wall, lives and nation, that their joy is heard from afar. They’ve got cymbals and harps. Do you know how loud a cymbal is?!

I’m not saying we should party all night in drunken, ungodly debauchery and keep our neighbors up to the wee hours of the morning so that they call the cops, but wouldn’t it be great if the whole city, whole nation, stopped what we were doing (our neighbors included) and sang and rejoiced with great joy for God’s goodness.

The closest thing we have, where our whole nation celebrates together in an outward fashion, is probably the 4th of July. Fireworks light up every sky from LaLa Land to the Big Apple. It’s different than New Year’s Eve because the weather is usually warm enough for everyone to come outside and sing and celebrate together, as opposed to counting down with Ryan Seacrest on TV. There are 4th of July BBQs and cookouts and block parties. Food, fellowship, fun! Music, dancing, singing. Good times.

I’m convinced that God does not have a problem with His people partying. Verse 43 actually says that God is the One who gave the people their joy to party. God’s people should be some of the most joyous people on earth. Other folks should be coming to us because we are full of joy.

Why, Fam, do we decide sometimes that it’s better to represent our God by embracing frowns, mean-mugging and sour dispositions? Don’t get me wrong. I understand, better than most, the incredible pain and sadness that is endured on this side of heaven. But here is what I also understand. The text makes it clear that all the people celebrated the dedication of the wall. Everybody. Whether dealing with something catastrophic or not, all of God’s people in
Judah took a day to sing and celebrate and rejoice. God gave them great joy.

That doesn’t mean that those whose hearts were broken couldn’t be honest about their pain. It means that their pain didn’t stop them from celebrating how good God had been to them.

Does that encourage you as much as it encourages me?

There are times in our lives where we have full permission to stand on our wall (or accomplishment/blessing/whatever God has done) and sing and celebrate and rejoice and dedicate that blessing back to God and say, “Thank you! You’ve been good.”

What if we found something, at least one thing, daily to dedicate back to God, to say ‘Thank you, Lord. You’ve been good’?!

I think that kind of daily celebration and joyfest, even if it’s one song or a smile, would transform the lives of many artists here in the LaLa. Depression, disappointment and discouragement over what we don’t have would be forced to give way to joy, fulfillment, and encouragement over what we do have.

Is there anything today that we can celebrate?

Where are God’s party people?
Where you at? I know you’re out there!
Holler at me. Does this make any sense to you?
Respond below.

Let’s sing, dance and rejoice.
And if we don’t have it, let’s ask for joy.
The text says He gives great joy.
That’s my prayer for us today: that God would give us great joy.

Go forth,
Naima

DAILY PRAYER (LENT):

1) Confession & Repentance – Let’s confess our wrongs and ask forgiveness
2) Complete transparency – Let our guard down and talk to God about our lives.
3) Listen – Let’s quiet and listen to God’s Spirit re: the scriptures, etc.
4) Intercession for others – Let’s pray for our family, friends, coworkers