“Let us with a gladsome mind,
praise the Lord for He is kind
For his mercies aye endure,
ever faithful ever sure.”
That first line is a lovely paraphrase of Psalm 136.1: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” We live in anxious times in a world less predictable every day. Those words give us an alternative to doom-scrolling through the relentless flow of information that simply feeds our fears and fuels our anger. Instead, let us with a gladsome mind, praise the Lord, for he is kind. Sure, the world seems much less safe, and we feel a lot less secure. But, as Psalm 136 says 28 times – “His love endures forever.” A gladsome mind is a determined refusal to despair by looking for reasons to praise the kindness of God, give thanks for his mercies, and trust the love that endures forever.
Tuesday
Psalm 31.7 “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction, and knew the anguish of my soul.”
Gladness is not a denial of all that’s wrong in the world. When we are distressed by the scale of human suffering across the world, or when we ourselves are going through difficult times and ‘anguish of soul’, gladness doesn’t seem like a realistic option. But the Psalm poet is not wrong. In those very times of sorrow, anxiety, and perplexity that come to all of us, a gladsome mind turns to the one reliable source of light and life – the God whose love endures forever. To rejoice in the love of God is not to ignore a suffering world, or pretend our own difficulties don’t matter. It is to take hold again of the love of God in Christ and remember Christ is risen, and nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God! To rejoice in God’s love is faith singing and refusing to be silenced!
Wednesday
Psalm 92.4 “You make me glad by your deeds, O Lord, I sing for joy at the work of your hands.”
This is still a wonderful world, the Creator’s masterpiece gifted to us. The birds we feed, the technology we use, the glory of sunset. Be glad about beauty and the fruitfulness of God’s creation and human labour. If I ask when I have been glad recently I think of geese honking their song of arrival at Loch Skene; or a recent meal with old friends when I said an additional Grace at the miracle of Cranachan Crème Brûlée! A gladsome mind is more than an injection of positivity; it is a mind alert to the goodness of God around us, and a heart accustomed to thankfulness.
Thursday
Psalm 97.1 “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad.”
At a time when even the best world leaders struggle with complex problems and life or death decisions, the Lord God reigns, and his purposes will be fulfilled. Don’t know about you, but when I watch the news I’m glad of those words, “the Lord reigns”, and that this is still a God-loved world. A gladsome mind doesn’t give in to cynicism as if hope for justice, peace and care of creation was hopeless refusal to face reality. The gladsome mind of the Christian is sustained by a faith that lives out the conviction: The Lord reigns! Christ is risen! Jesus is Lord!
Friday
Psalm 118.24 “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
So there it is. You wake up, you’re still here, the gift of another day. Time is God’s gift, not to be wasted in morose wishing it could be otherwise, but to be enjoyed and lived gratefully, creatively, and yes, gladly. Here is a prayer worth making a daily habit: “May we accept this day at your hand, O Lord, as a gift to be treasured, a life to be enjoyed, a trust to be kept, and a hope to be fulfilled; and all for your glory.
Saturday
Psalm 65.12 “The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.”
Take time to read verses 9-13 of Psalm 65. This is the Psalm poet having a good day, and looking out at a world touched by the life-giving creativity of God. Hills clothed with gladness! Really? Yes, and lush grass in the desert. A gladsome mind never forgets that the world belongs to God, despite all its brokenness and our sinful human propensity to waste, and spoil it. And yes, that means our obligation to care for creation, be actively concerned for our environment, and committed to justice for others affected by climate change. A gladsome mind is never careless of God’s gift of life, nor of the place where we live out that life. “All things living He doth feed; His full hand supplies their need: for His mercies shall endure, ever faithful, ever sure.” Indeed
Sunday
Acts 2.46-47 “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people“
From the very beginning gladness has been one of the audible and visible features of Christian worship, fellowship and prayer. A gladsome mind is not self-generated. It is the heart’s response to the goodness of God. It is the inner reality of being in Christ and Christ in us, the hope of glory. Gladness is joy expressed in worship, love experienced in fellowship, and hope a firm expectation based on our resurrection faith. In other words, gladness arises from the settled conviction that Jesus is Lord!
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