This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
When I think about the things that I usually complain about, these things are usually future-oriented. For example, one thing I have found myself complaining about is the fact that I often have trouble sleeping. When I complain about sleeping, my biggest concern is how I will feel the next day after a night of poor sleep. I complain because I anticipate a day operating off of little sleep. This complaint, like many of my other complaints, is future-oriented. In other words, I'm not complaining about my situation in the moment; I'm complaining about what I think the future is going to look like. As I consider this fact, I have realized the importance of focusing on today, not complaining about what I think life will look like a day, month, or year from now. I'm also reminded that today, I can give thanks to God, even when life seems tough.
Psalm 118 begins by saying, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever" (verse 1). Next, the Psalmist calls everyone else to proclaim that "His faithful love endures forever" (verses 2-4). He then takes time to remember God's faithful love to him. As the Psalm comes to an end, He writes, "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (verse 24). Whatever we are facing, whatever trials we are going through, on our best days and our worst days, we can pause, acknowledge that God has given us this day, and rejoice.
This practice "to rejoice and be glad" in the day we are living through is a conscious effort. When bad news comes, when worries overtake us, when we are overwhelmed by all of the unknowns, we have to make a conscious decision to find hope a reason to be grateful. We can choose to focus on the hardships we're facing, or we can choose to focus on the day we are given and the faithfulness God has shown us. May we always be people who look for opportunities for gratitude.
Make a commitment, regardless of how difficult life becomes, to focus on today without complaining about what the future might look like. Spend some time today praying to God. Thank Him for His care and provision in your life, specifically for you today. And tell Him that you trust Him for your future.
Read Psalm 118:1-29 (NLT)
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Let all Israel repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”
In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me.It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me.The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done.The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not let me die.
Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the Lord.These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there.I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!
The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.The Lord is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!
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