Episode 54: Psalm 118:24
Transcription
Today’s verse is Psalm 118:24
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Let’s pray together.
Jesus, a friend recently reminded me of this verse and how important it is to hold on to, especially when things are hard. It’s a reminder that every day is Yours. You make every day brand new. Your mercies are new every morning. And all the broken things that happen in our day do not discount that You are who You are and that the day was made for your glory. So we rejoice, in the midst of suffering, throughout our day.
Be in this day, may it be a magnification and glory to You. May we be the best representatives of You on this earth that we can be. May we share Your love and truth with others. May we live outwardly, extending ourselves in help to those around us and in honor of You. May we seek for Your presence and find it. May we bask in the love of a relationship with You—full, honest, and whole. Stay by our side through the whole day, so we can say from morning to night, we had a day filled with our God.
But there are days when we don’t feel like rejoicing. We are not glad. Sadness pours itself from our open wounds and anger gushes forth from our valid, wronged feelings. We have overwhelming circumstances heaping themselves over our joy, smothering the ability to praise or be grateful. We are afraid and anxious, fretting over the little worries and the wild unknowns outside of our control. We don’t want the reminder that You made today, because we think today is unfair. We want a do over, a new beginning, a fresh path, and an open road ahead of us. And the thought that You won’t provide it, causes bitterness to take root within us.
LORD, forgive us. Deliver us. Save us from ourselves. Protect us from all the situations and people and emotions that would separate us from You. Because You are all that matters in the end. Yes, our feelings are important, yes, our lives are demanding, yes, those bad things did happen. But, Jesus, we need Your eternal perspective to survive in this world. We need an everlasting contentment that comes directly from Your compassionate understanding and that provides the endurance we need to walk, putting one weary foot in front of the other, our whole lives.
So today, choose with me, to say that you will rejoice. No matter what. Whatever it takes. You can say that you are rejoicing through gritted teeth, and God still hears the desire behind the anger and frustration. God praises our efforts and comforts us when we try and fail. Wherever you are at today, fall to your knees in humble adoration of the day God has made. Find one thing, just one thing, that you are grateful for. God is good and there are so many things to choose. Please help us to focus, Father, on what is right and true, not what we can’t control.
Today, I am grateful for the wind in the trees, good food in my belly, the satisfaction of a long job completed, the thrill of community, the care of a friend, the good news from a distant land, and time spent with You. We lift up to Him our gratitude, and the rejoicing comes. Fill us, dear LORD, fill us with Your joy. It comes from You, not from any human or earthly source we try to extract it from. Focus us on this day, this time, this moment, and then the next and on and on throughout our day. Our day is dedicated to You, Jesus. We trust that You can take care of it, even when it doesn’t feel like it will be okay.
I pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen.
