Like many people, in the morning when I wake up, I have to wonder what kind of day it’s going to be. Will the political maelstrom be raging today, or will it only be simmering? Will the markets be up or down, or in total chaos? Will the necessities of my life have a price increase, further disturbing my financial balance? Who of my circle will I find out distressing news about? Will there be sickness, relational troubles, financial burdens, employment issues?
These kinds of thoughts can rage in our minds as we awaken to a new day. All we need to do is check in with the different media sources and we will be inundated with lots and lots of stuff that can carry our minds and emotions to different and negative places. Its almost as if we can’t escape the deluge of information, bad news, anxiety and worry.
Not that the issues of the day are not important or concerning, but should they be our first thought? On my walk this morning, the verse from Psalm 118:24 kept running across my mind. I was watching the squirrels play peek-a-boo with me, the ducks lazily skimming across the surface of the creek, and even the occasional leaf that would flutter down from the branches overhead. I kept hearing, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” A smile crept across my face and I was truly immersed in a moment of gladness and joy.
Of course out on the trail, in the midst of nature, its easy for those feelings to flood around me. But what about when I get home and turn on the TV, or access my computer and different media sites, what will I feel then?
If we look at the totality of Psalm 118, its not all roses and rainbows either. The psalmist is singing a song of victory for God having brought them through some difficult times. The psalmist relates that there has been some distressing situations. There have been many such times when the psalmist felt surrounded and beaten down. In all the psalmist has gone through, the understanding that God has been right there with them, it overwhelms with a joy that is almost incomprehensible.
I’m certain there are days in all our lives where we feel distressed, anxious, beat down, overwhelmed, and even possibly fallen and distraught. But in the midst of all of that, what can guide us and uplift us?
I think for the days ahead of me, I will commit this verse to memory and let it guide me as I awaken each day. If the first thought in my mind is, “This is the day the Lord has made,” what kind of day will I experience? Sure, there will be bad news. Sure, there will be times of distress. Sure, there will be the feeling as if I and those I care about are being vanquished. But if the start of the day is an acknowledgement that God made this day, and woke me up to this day, how bad can it really be? Will it be so bad I feel paralyzed or fearful to the point of not wanting to get up? Or, if I acknowledge this is the day God has made, will I be able to face what the day brings?
The second half of the verse says, “let us rejoice and be glad in it.” That’s really the key to making it through every day, isn’t it? When we can rejoice and be glad because God has seen fit to make another day for us, and has awakened us to the possibility of what we can do with that day, what else can we do but rejoice? We don’t rejoice because the politicians are increasing the misery of their enemies. We don’t rejoice because someone we care about is having a tough time. We don’t rejoice because the myriad issues confronting us seem so unpleasant. We rejoice because God has given us a day where we can reflect God’s image to the world in how we act, what we say, and what we do.
We are just one individual in a huge and complex world, but one image of God shining through us can and will make a difference. And the day ahead is worth rejoicing over, because God made it for us. And we can let someone see who God has made us to be.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom