What a great verse. Recently, I have seen this verse as many of my friends’ status update on face book. This is the day the Lord has made.
I was thinking about this verse while driving today. It is a great proclamation first thing in the morning. I just rolled out of bed refreshed after a good night of sleep, the sun is shining. All is quiet inside so I can hear the birds chirping outside. This IS the day the LORD has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!
I do not usually wonder this early in the day if I will have the same feelings and thoughts by the end of the day. Will I still be able to say, “This is the day the Lord has made; I did rejoice and was glad in it” tonight?
I do not know about your day, but by the time I am thinking about breakfast, things are already threatening my gladness. I like the way Priscilla Shirer says it; “people are bumping my happy”.
It can begin small enough: someone put the milk back the refrigerator with only a swig left and the other kid (or maybe the same kid) is complaining that you did not get more. We all know you should have x-ray vision to see that the carton was empty. Then another family member cannot find…feel free to place that one item that family member can never find. Then the pet, that everyone adores any other time, has left a ‘present’ that no one is willing to clean up now. At this point, if you are like me, the only thing that you are rejoicing about is that you have made it through all this without death coming to any of your loved ones; by your hand.
If, at this point, I sat down and thought about Psalm 118:24, I would wonder many things. Is this truly the day the LORD has made? I am sure He would have given me a much better day than this - and it is only 9 am!
Into my day I proceed; meeting people, working with people, and driving next to people, almost all of them ‘bumping my happy’. How is anyone expected to rejoice in such circumstances? And gladness? Well, that was not just ‘bumped,’ but run over and left flat in the middle of the road!
This is all just the everyday stuff of life. I have not had to call ‘Peggy’ about the bill or service that is not right. The car did not break down. The medical report did not come back with concerns. The worst I had to deal with today was the pet ‘present’ and yet I am questioning the proclamation I made this morning: This is the day the LORD has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.
You see this morning, what I meant by ‘I will’ was that ‘I can’. “I slept well. Look how beautiful it is outside. I hope it will be a good day, and things will go my way. If they do, then I CAN praise God.”
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And then he says: “I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Always is not just when all is well or my way. Always is ALWAYS! Always is when the milk carton is empty – rejoice! that I have access to buy milk. Rejoice! that my child is healthy enough to be able to put the milk carton away empty. Always is when that item cannot be found – rejoice! that I had the means to provide the item and probably have the means to replace it also. Always is when the medical reports do come back with concerns – rejoice! that I know the Creator and He will heal me.
If you read all of Psalm 118 you will find that the psalmist had been through a battle. He had nations coming at him, enemies swarming him like bees yet God delivered him. In verse 22 when the psalmist refers to the Stone the builder rejected most scholars will say that is a reference to Jesus. Jesus is our salvation! If that is the only thing you have to hang onto today, that is more than enough to rejoice and be glad in!
Maybe at the end of the day when we have seen or used this verse as a status update we should comment with all the rejoicing that we did (or could have done) in the good AND the bad of the day.
Carmelita Boyce
