12

Day 18 – Psalm 18:24

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 18:24 NKJV

Today, you have been given 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86400 seconds. There is not one moment in this time slot called today that your life is out the care and keeping of the God of the universe. Not one word spoken to you that will hurt or heal you, not an action done to bring you pain or pleasure, not a circumstance that will break your heart or bring you overflowing joy, will miss His attention. Every detail of you life is known to Him, even the things you think are the best kept secrets.

If we understand this, then we need to know that whatever unfolds in our lives today whether we see it as good or bad, today is still the day He has made. That may not seem like a huge deal, but if we think about God for a moment it is an immense deal. You see, God is good. He is not good some of the time, part of the time, when He is in the mood, but all of the time. Not only is He good, but all that He has made is also good. When He finished each day of creation, He called those days, “good”. So, if God can look at the days He creates and call them good, can they really be anything less than that?

You see, I can look at my life and say, I have had a few bad days, but were the days really bad or was my attitude about the day the issue? Were those days in mention, days where I focused on God, or on self and comfort? I understand like anyone in life that sometimes we get hit hard. Sometimes, we didn’t see that circumstance coming and we are taken off guard. Yet, even in those moments, God is merciful and kind to us. His love is relentless and His grace is overflowing. Which is all the more reason the day is good. It is always a good day when mercy covers, when we embrace His grace, when in brokenness He takes our hands and lifts us to a place of beauty. But the truth is that, each day is filled with those very realities, there are just some days where we do not see it as clearly as others.

The God who loves us without limit provides a fresh opportunity every day to see Him and offer Him the thanks He deserves for the new provision coming our way in the next 86,400 seconds. Will this day be declared a write off in your life or an opportunity to be grateful to a God who holds you and your every moments? There really is only one response. “I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Today I am grateful that in all of my moments of ingratitude He extended mercy and grace that overflowed. I am thankful that today I get a fresh start, a new opportunity to thank the God who is worthy for the 1440 minutes in front of me. I am privileged to be able to rejoice in His goodness and to be reminded that should painful words come my way today, or news that I did not expect, that He has given me more than I need to be grateful and He only does what is good.

Comments(12)

  1. Reply
    Irma Vanderzwaag says:

    Such a timely word my heart today. when I wake up each morning and look out to see more snow, grey skies and cold temperatures , it can so easily affect my mood and I just reflect what I see outside, then bemoan the fact I can not get out or do much do to weather.
    But it is the day ” the Lord hath made” and for me there is nothing better I can do than rejoice in it ! I pray that each day I will be able to do that and not let the weather, the circumstance or what ever may come I will still rejoice in the day that “the Lord hath made” so blessed to have heard and now to respond 🙂

    • Reply
      Sue Holmes says:

      Irma, I can relate to that grey mood that matches the grey skies on these snowy days. Thank you so much for the reminder that the best thing we can do to change ourselves is to rejoice in what God gave us.

  2. Reply
    Jim Holmes says:

    What a gift…today. It is truly, not yesterday, or tomorrow…but is really a “present’ from God. If we really think about it, it is a taste of eternity for the Christian, for we live both presently and eternally, that is, outside of time. That is, for the Christian, our life is hid in Christ, in God. We have been crucified with Christ…yet I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me. Time given us is precious. It is measured by all that which God has created around us…the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon, and stars…all of which speaks of the glory of God. I thank God for you. You are special in His sight. We exist together for His glory. Let us rejoice. This is the day the Lord has made. May many hear our rejoicing and join our song.

    • Reply
      Susan Craig says:

      Beautiful Jim-I get a picture of God’s people singing a song as they dance with joy down the streets and their laughter is so contageous that others are compelled to join them because they are so happy and glad in the Lord. How attractive we would be to others if our lives would reflect His joy that bubbles up within and overflows unto all we encounter! You have inspired this soul today!!

  3. Reply
    Susan Craig says:

    Thank you Freda for this reminder. In the mornings,I consciously try to dedicate each new day to the Lord and love the clean slate we are presented with every new day. That God sees fit to grant us a new day to start anew is amazing grace indeed. All the mistakes of yesterday washed away and a fresh new start. I just wish memories of my past failures could be erased from my mind as easy when they come pouring back into my conscious thoughts. I often think that memories should just be happy ones and the painful ones should be deleted from our minds but it doesn’t happen that easily for me. I do look back though and see Jesus there – I see Him carrying me through the difficult times, I hear His encouragement in His words when I am depressed or discouraged and I see Him in the faces of my loved ones. His presence in those moments makes it easier to remember His goodness and faithfulness to me over all of my life. So even the hard days become a blessing when we are able to see Jesus in them. I have so many bible verses stored in my memory that when I have a bad day, the Holy Spirit brings them to the forefront of my mind and they comfort,encourage and strengthen me to keep moving forward. So everyday can be a good day, even when not everything in the day is good. The fact that Jesus is with us every minute of everyday makes this life alot less lonely than it would be without Him. If we make a conscious effort to look for His presence in our day and then thank Him at the end of each day, I can see how thankfulness can become the best way to live our lives. Cultivating gratitude as a way of life certainly becomes a healthier way of living and makes us much more aware of all the blessings God provides for us everyday. Do we consciously look for Jesus in everyday activities and in the people we encounter everyday? If we look for Him, I am sure we will see Him. We may need to look harder some days than others but I am sure He will be seen. I also firmly believe that we can encourage others who are faltering in their walk by suggesting they do the same. I am not sure where this verse is from but I remember it often-“my heart would have fainted within me had I not seen the hand of the Lord in the land of the living.” Looking for the hand of the Lord in the land of the living keeps our heart from being discouraged to the point of dispair. Thanking God today that when our focus becomes Jesus in every moment of everyday, our day becomes more joyful, our load is less heavy and easier to carry and our hearts more thankful. Thank you Lord that because of your presence with us each and every day we can confidently say: “Today is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in every minute of it for everyday of our lives.”

    • Reply
      Sue Holmes says:

      Susan, thank you for the encouragement of deliberately looking for God’s hand in whatever we encounter. The enemy will try his best to keep us distracted. But if we are intentional in our search for God in each new day we will find Him and we will find more than enough reasons to be thankful.
      Even during those times when the enemy tries to throw our past back in our faces we can be thankful. Both Hebrew 8:12 & Jeremiah 31:34 talk about the new covenant established by Christ that not only guarantees that Christ forgives our sins but “He will remember their sins no more.” His love & mercy is new every day. The past is exactly that … the past, gone, remembered no more by the One who paid the ransom. When those memories come back to haunt us we can give thanks that if Christ has forgotten them then we an learn to also.

  4. Reply
    Betty MN says:

    I am grateful for these past 18 days. Psalm 18:24 gives me peace of mind, when I ponder it, and it helps me to stay grounded in everyday life. A wonderful way to continue to keep my attitude in perspective. 1440 minutes to make choices. Rejoice in the Lord always!

    • Reply
      Sue Holmes says:

      Betty, I’m grateful for the ways that God has used you to encourage and bring a smile. You do look for ways to stay positive and through that you have encouraged me. Keep filling those 1440 minutes with His love & mercy! 🙂

  5. Reply
    Pat McRae says:

    I love this verse, it has surely turned many of my days around for me 🙂
    Have you ever woke up, got out of bed and stubbed your toe, nightie hit the toilet water, tap water got everything but your hands and there was no towel to be found? Then you sit down to do your devotions and some one has the never to put this verse before you. Or maybe, your morning has begun great, devotion time in His presence so sweet, but then it starts! 🙁 One concern after another rise up. The first few are easy to deal with because after all this is the day! But by afternoon you can’t even remember the verse because the battles have been so many and the victories seem so far off. 🙁
    So then you start your dialogue with God. “You made this day, well thanks a lot! Have You bothered to see what I have been through? Why me Lord? We started the day so great and now I am not the least bit thankful for it!” I know most of you don’t talk to God this way, but He has taught me to be real with Him because He knows what is in my heart anyway. So as I have my pity party and my you could ofs and should ofs He just listens and likely says to Jesus “she thinks she is having a bad day” .
    And then when I am finished He quietly whispers in my ear, “I love you baby girl, I never said the day was going to start well or you would not face life full on. I just asked you to rejoice and be glad. Can you not be glad I breathed life into you this morning so you had the strength to face those Giants with calm and patience? Can you not rejoice that your bathroom got cleaned in such a short time? Are you not glad the toe only hurt for a short time and was not broken? Oh, by the way, I did not appreciate those words you spoke when it happened. 🙁 Can you not rejoice for the blue skies and gentle breezes? It is a decision on your part how you will enjoy your day and face your circumstances, but I think you will enjoy your days more when you choose to rejoice and be glad for all those little things. And remember I have made the day so if you will let me I will take care of you and your concerns.”
    It is then that I bow my knee and ask Him to forgive me for my independent, got to do it, spirit; for grumbling and complaining attitude and the words I spoke on more then one occasion during the day that were not pleasing to Him.
    I am so thankful for this day and for the reminder that what it holds is ordained by God for my growth in Him; to strengthen my faith and trust in His love and to develop total dependence on His goodness and mercy. I am thankful for the reminder that I can decide to rejoice and be glad everyday no matter what is happening around me, it is my choice! 🙂 how I will receive my day.
    I remember walking to church one morning with my granddaughter and baby foster son. The morning had been a rough one with two generations rubbing each other raw. But in my anger and poor attitude I was reminded of this verse. I thanked God for it and then explained to my granddaughter we each had a choice to make. We could allow the morning to ruin our day or we could choose to forgive each other and rejoice and be glad. I told her my choice was to rejoice and be glad, so I forgave her and hoped she would forgive me. Right there on the street we hugged each other and continued our walk happily, enjoying a few laughs along the way. Her day at Kids Summer Camp and my day at home were great days and our evening was a peaceful one. 🙂 Why? Because we chose to believe God’s Word and put it into action.
    Psalm 118:24 is definitely a day changer! 🙂

    • Reply
      Susan Craig says:

      I thank the Lord for your words here this morning as I start my new day in Alberta. I also thank Him for the internet that allows people from near and far to have a bible study together and when I read the words others have written,they seem to me like someone is right here in my house with me speaking truth into my heart and mind. God’s ability to work in us is not bound by time or distance and He works in our lives faster than the internet can relay messages for sure.I need to give feedback to you Pat-your words and examples are so real and speek volumes to me everytime I read them. Thank you for sharing them because they are helping me in such a practical way. I thank God for you today and for your willingness to be used by Him in this way. Even tho we have never met in person,I feel blessed to know you. Thank you.

    • Reply
      Sue Holmes says:

      Pat, I have had a few of those mornings that you describe. Add in bumping into a few walls/furniture with the wheelchair on the way to the first cup of coffee, nearly running over the cat’s tail (eliciting some dirty looks from said cat who refused to move) while making my way to an armchair to start the morning devotions, spilling the aforementioned cup of coffee in the process. I can’t say that my dialogue with God would have been much different than the one in your comment above. And I’m sure God’s response to me was very similar. Thanks for keeping it real. 🙂
      And thank you for the reminder of His love & mercy throughout the day that He has ordained just for you & me.

  6. Reply
    Sue Holmes says:

    This verse (Psalm 18:24) reminds me of another Old Testament verse, “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, His merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22-23). If I wake up in the morning and all I can do is stare at the ceiling, I still have the knowledge that this day was made by my God and it is filled with His love and mercy! What a reason to give thanks.
    I wish I could say that each morning as I awaken my eyes pop wide open, a smile quickly spreads across my face and as I look out towards another snow filled, dreary, cold day that I pop up in bed & declare, “Thank you God for such a wonderful blessing of a day that You made!! (grinning)”. Nope, not me. 🙁 These days it sometimes takes a cup of coffee to get both eyes wide open, a while to get the creaking out of the bones and even after that sometimes the attitude needs to be slightly adjusted before I admit Who is really in charge of the day.
    I love that the Psalmist says “This is the day”. Not yesterday & not tomorrow. Today … right now … this allottment of 86,400 seconds. This parcel of time contains renewed love and mercy. They were created new this morning, waiting for a sleepy, grumbling, creaky me to wake up and embrace them. What a God!!! What a Father!!!!
    With that in mind, my spirit says I WILL rejoice and be glad in this day. It was designed by my Father specifically for me. He planned it out and He knew about every stumbling block that the enemy would throw in the path to try to trip me. He knew everything that would happen in this 86,400 seconds, no matter how wonderful or how tragic and He provided the exact measure and type of love and mercy that would be needed for this day. All I need to do is reach out and embrace it moment by moment … and give thanks.
    Does He guarantee that this task is going to be easy? No. But the fact that it is in His Word … His love letter to us guarantees that it is very possible. So today I thank You, Father, for the “day that You have made”. I thank You that You have provided everything necessary for this day, starting with Your love & mercy. I thank You that You have provided ready channels for that love & mercy through Your living body. And I thank You for this study of thankfulness.

Post a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.