Rejoice Always

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, it is the 22nd of June, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the First Book of Thessalonians 5:16, just two words: 

“Rejoice always,…” 

Then we go to verse 18,

“in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  

Maybe today you are going through a rough time, maybe there are dark clouds around you and you don’t know any way out. I will tell you the way out is to rejoice always, because if God is for you, no man will ever stand against you. Remember, if there is no storm, there is no rain and if there is no rain, there is no life. I believe when we get to Heaven we will still be able to hear gentle raindrops falling on our corrugated iron roofs. I am sure we will experience that sound when we get to Heaven.  

You know, as a young farmer, I had no irrigation on our farm so we had to rely not on the centre pivot but on the eternal pivot! That's right, and many a time our maize plants were taking a lot of strain. Those poor little plants would start so bravely early in the morning but by midday, they looked like onions. They were so shrivelled, they were grey and I would think, “Lord, this crop is not going to come through.” Then I would be lying in my bed at night with my little family and there would be thunder and lightning and wind and then all of a sudden, pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter on the corrugated iron roof. The rain has finally come! Being a good Scotsman, counting my pennies, and every drop of rain on the roof, I would say, “Lord, that is another 1 cent in the bag,” and that was the way I loved to go to sleep at night.

I was reading this beautiful little poem in the Streams in the Desert Devotional the other day, I want to read it to you. The writer says:

It isn't raining rain to me,
It's raining daffodils;
In every dimpled drop I see
Wild flowers on the hills.
The clouds of grey engulf the day
And overwhelm the town —
It isn't raining rain to me,
It's raining roses down.

So it doesn’t matter how dark it might seem. Remember the rain is coming and the rain will bring showers of blessing in your life.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.