This is the Day

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

Two years ago this morning, I finished my last of 35 awful radiation treatments for tonsil cancer. This past weekend, I learned that one church member has had complications following surgery. Another church member has received disappointing news from a recent scan. My own son has had a mysterious lump to develop on his left shoulder that will require surgery and a biopsy on Wednesday. Today, when I feel like doing just about anything but rejoicing, I needed the suggested scripture reading of Psalm 118.

The psalmist has great confidence in God's eternal love. The psalmist knows that regardless of what we face in this crazy world, the Lord is with us and as a result we should not be afraid. The psalmist knows that God can be trusted with our lives and the lives of those we love; God is our strength, our song, and our salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...therefore we can rejoice.

I need to be reminded of God's constant and unfailing love today. I need to be reminded of God's great concern for God's people. I need to be reminded that God can be trusted...to be my strength, my help, and my salvation. If I really trust God with my life and with the lives of those I love, then every day can be a day of rejoicing. Regardless of what happens, God's love endures. Regardless of what happens, God is with me. Regardless of what happens, God is my helper, my strength, and my song.

May God grant you the grace, regardless of what you face today, to say "This is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it." To claim this isn't necessarily easy, but it is possible.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Jeremiah 28-30 and 1 John 3.