Dayenu, have you ever heard of it? Traditionally, it is a song during the Jewish Passover (Seder meal) sung to remember God’s faithfulness towards the Israelites in Exodus. “It would have been enough” is the meaning behind the word ‘dayenu’, recognizing each and every goodness would have been enough. The following is the full text in Hebrew and English…

אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִצְרַיִם וְלֹא עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had taken us out of Egypt and not made judgements on them; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים, וְלֹא עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had made judgments on them and had not made [them] on their gods; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, וְלֹא הָרַג אֶת־בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had made [them] on their gods and had not killed their firstborn; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ הָרַג אֶת־בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־מָמוֹנָם, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had killed their firstborn and had not given us their money; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־מָמוֹנָם וְלֹא קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת־הַיָּם, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had given us their money and had not split the Sea for us; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת־הַיָּם וְלֹא הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had split the Sea for us and had not taken us through it on dry land; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה וְלֹא שִׁקַּע צָרֵנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had taken us through it on dry land and had not pushed down our enemies in [the Sea]; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ שִׁקַּע צָרֵנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ וְלֹא סִפֵּק צָרְכֵּנוּ בַּמִדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had pushed down our enemies in [the Sea] and had not supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ סִפֵּק צָרְכֵּנוּ בְּמִדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה וְלֹא הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת־הַמָּן דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years and had not fed us the manna; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת־הַמָּן וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַשַׁבָּת, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had fed us the manna and had not given us the Shabbat; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַשַׁבָּת, וְלֹא קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had given us the Shabbat and had not brought us close to Mount Sinai; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, וְלא נַתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה. דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had brought us close to Mount Sinai and had not given us the Torah; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ נַתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה וְלֹא הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had given us the Torah and had not brought us into the land of Israel; [it would have been] enough for us.

אִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא בָנָה לָנוּ אֶת־בֵּית הַבְּחִירָה דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had brought us into the land of Israel and had not built us the ‘Chosen House’ [the Temple; it would have been] enough for us

Have you ever considered such? Have you ever considered what would have been enough? What has God done for you that would have been enough? Enought to continually praise His Name. What was your “Egypt” that He has brought you out of? What was your “Red Sea” experience that He brought you through? What has your provision in the wilderness been like? How about your “Shabbat” or your “Mt. Sinai”? Have you considered that the gift of The WORD, itself as enough? The written and the Living??? What would have been enough for you?

I would greatly encourage you to sit quietly alone, possibly in your secret place and reflect over the course of your life all that God has done for you. Make a list. Write it down. This draws us in and keeps us close to Him. It helps us remain thankful and grateful instead of wanting for more. Yes, we should always have a desire for more of God. But we need to keep a check our heart attitude. What is our behind or beneath that desire for more of God? Are we comparing ourselves to others and desiring what they have? Or is it from a place of “less of me (flesh) and more of Him”?

When I have stopped and taken account of all that God has done for me in my life, I can say it has shown me His faithfulness again and again and again. It has wrecked me, in a good way. Causing me to see His hand throughout my life even when I was far from Him. It is like being able to see THE thread weaving through the fabric of your life pulling it all together. There is a small sense of gaining insight into His Sovereignty in your life. I write “small sense” because I am not quite sure we will ever comprehend it on the scale that it truly exists. The magnitude of it is far too grand. Imagine doing this annually like it is at Passover, but each year writing out all the new things for that year. What kind of list would we have at the end of life here on earth? One that would cause you to lift up praise to Him for eternity, I believe.

So, again, I ask, what would be enough for you? Enough for you to worship and praise Him. For He alone is worthy of all our praise. All of our worship!

To God be the glory forever and ever, for great things He has done! Amen.