Days vary.
I mean some days are awful, full of harsh, thankless labour, betrayal and disappointment. On those days the news seems all bad, with no end of suffering.
Other days are just sublime. The sun breaks through the clouds, we get to enjoy the things we love in peace with dear ones. Faith and hope revive and we celebrate a sense of grateful wellbeing.
Many days then seem a bit ordinary, humdrum, business as usual; we just get on with it and it’s fine.
The song-writers in the Old Testament were no strangers to both good times and bad. They celebrated their freedom in annual festivals yet also had to live with the threat of spiteful enemies.
In church services we sometimes sing an adaptation of Psalm 118v24: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’
Today is not just some random, chaotic conglomeration of accidents. The Psalmist believed in a plan and saw every day as another opportunity to trust the ultimate authority of Heaven. It’s good both spiritually and psychologically to remember in general that every day is God’s creation, His gift for us to enjoy responsibly with thankfulness.
But Psalm 118 is actually more specific. They’re celebrating a particular deliverance. God has come to their rescue by unexpected means making this day a day of salvation, a day to rejoice!
Centuries later, during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for Passover, supporters in the crowd literally repeat parts of this Psalm, waving branches and shouting its verses in welcome. Shortly after this He quotes it in debate with some of the religious leaders: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone…’ (Matthew 21v33-46)
He is the ‘stone’ they reject and will have executed, yet God will make His death the unexpected means of saving millions from sin and its consequences! This is the perspective from which believers can now view and approach any and every day.
And so while details of our lives vary a bit with each new date on the calendar, let’s understand that since Jesus paid for our rescue on the cross we are living in a ‘day’ of wonderful grace and opportunity. Let it rain or shine – we will rejoice and be glad in the love and kindness of our Saviour!
I mean some days are awful, full of harsh, thankless labour, betrayal and disappointment. On those days the news seems all bad, with no end of suffering.
Other days are just sublime. The sun breaks through the clouds, we get to enjoy the things we love in peace with dear ones. Faith and hope revive and we celebrate a sense of grateful wellbeing.
Many days then seem a bit ordinary, humdrum, business as usual; we just get on with it and it’s fine.
The song-writers in the Old Testament were no strangers to both good times and bad. They celebrated their freedom in annual festivals yet also had to live with the threat of spiteful enemies.
In church services we sometimes sing an adaptation of Psalm 118v24: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’
Today is not just some random, chaotic conglomeration of accidents. The Psalmist believed in a plan and saw every day as another opportunity to trust the ultimate authority of Heaven. It’s good both spiritually and psychologically to remember in general that every day is God’s creation, His gift for us to enjoy responsibly with thankfulness.
But Psalm 118 is actually more specific. They’re celebrating a particular deliverance. God has come to their rescue by unexpected means making this day a day of salvation, a day to rejoice!
Centuries later, during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for Passover, supporters in the crowd literally repeat parts of this Psalm, waving branches and shouting its verses in welcome. Shortly after this He quotes it in debate with some of the religious leaders: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone…’ (Matthew 21v33-46)
He is the ‘stone’ they reject and will have executed, yet God will make His death the unexpected means of saving millions from sin and its consequences! This is the perspective from which believers can now view and approach any and every day.
And so while details of our lives vary a bit with each new date on the calendar, let’s understand that since Jesus paid for our rescue on the cross we are living in a ‘day’ of wonderful grace and opportunity. Let it rain or shine – we will rejoice and be glad in the love and kindness of our Saviour!
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