Dayenu


We can be certain that God will give us the strength and resources we need to live through any situation in life that God ordains. The will of God will never take us 
where the grace of God cannot sustain us. –Billy Graham


We had the pleasure recently of attending an Interfaith Passover Seder meal at a local Jewish temple. We met up with several hundred friends we hadn’t met yet to take part in some of the rituals of the celebration. We asked the Four Questions, awkwardly sang and prayed in Hebrew, and sampled the traditional, symbolic foods of the Seder. We came away feeling like we had truly experienced something special, and like we knew a little more about Jesus the Jew.

And we also learned about dayenu. Dayenu captures the idea that God is so generous, so gracious that God provides so much more than we need—and less would have been enough.

Had God only led the Hebrews out of Egypt—dayenu. That would have been enough to bring us to gratitude, but God did more. God also gave them the gift of Shabbat, the gift of Torah, and the gift of the Promised Land. Generous God, indeed!

Where in your life has God been generous beyond your expectations?

Pause now to give thanks—maybe even when the only reason you have to be thankful is that you made it through another day. And this week, as much as you are able, reflect on the idea of dayenu. It would have been enough for God to deserve my gratitude. Dayenu.


Monday On your way to work, school or the mall, pause at the red light and give thanks for those who have faithfully served their country. Psalm 118:22-24

Tuesday Listen today for sounds of the season: schoolchildren at play, crocuses peeping up through the snow, animals getting the “springtime friskies.” Offer thanks for variety in Creation. Genesis 2:4-7

Wednesday Close your eyes for a moment. Listen to your body as you breathe in and out. Feel the miracle of life flowing through your veins. Give thanks. Psalm 139:1-12

Thursday Pray today for children in another part of the world. Ask God to guide your thoughts-- and your actions. Jeremiah 1:4-8

Friday Take a few minutes to look in your closets. Are there items—a winter coat, perhaps—that you no longer need? Where do you have an experience of dayenu? 2 Corinthians 8:7

Saturday As you pray for yourself today, ask the Lord to reveal the uniqueness of you. Celebrate simply being a beloved child of the Most High. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Sunday Look around you at the beauty and variety of God’s children in this place. Praise God—and welcome one another in love! Acts 17:22-25

Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don’t need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen. --Adam Hamilton


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