This is the Day: Psalm 118

If you know anything from Psalm 118, if may be this verse, “This is the Day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (verse 24).

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes need a reminder to “rejoice”. It can become very easy to focus on the things that are wrong or stressful in my life and sometimes I forget to see the good things. I have ruined many good days simply because I have not had the right focus. The question then is, “How do I rejoice in this day?” The rest of Psalm 118 gives us some good ideas.

The first thing to notice is the phrase “Give thanks” (verse 1). Over the last few years, I have come to believe that thankfulness (or the lack thereof) is a “Spiritual indicator”. It shows that we know who is in charge and that we trust God to provide what we need.

Next, the Psalm reminds us “His (God’s) love endures forever”. We need to get that picture in our mind because that is what God is like. He loves us forever.

Verse 3 then says, “In my anguish I cried to the Lord and he answered”. Answered prayer is another reason to rejoice and be glad. We have help. We have hope. We have a direct connection to one who can change things for us. If that is the case, it is no wonder the Psalmist asks, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (ver 6).

When we focus our eyes on our help and our blessings instead of our problems, then we will have a good place to start rejoicing each day.

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