By Lisa Wilmore
Scripture to Ponder: Psalm 118 declares, “This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (vs. 24).
Let us pray: Most gracious Father, we stand in awe and reverence of You for who You are-worshipping You for Your goodness and mercy toward us.
Thank You for another day that You have brought forth. Thank You for a new year that only You could have allowed us to see.
Thank You, Father, for opportunities to share encouraging words with individuals who may need the reassurance that You are an awesome God.
Lord, as we journey through this year, give us the words to pen and the words to speak that will bring glory to You. Even through our conduct and behavior, it is You who we desire to give glory, honor and praise. Let our lives line up with Your will without seeking our own way or our own desires.
We are so grateful to be able to approach Your throne of Mercy through Your Son, our Savior, Jesus. And it is in His Name that we pray. Amen.
My Dear Friends,
In Psalm 118, the Psalmist brought forth praise to God for His “Everlasting Mercy”. He sang, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 118: 1 NKJV). Later in his delivery of psalm 118, he sang, “This is the Day the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it.”
Briefly, I recall that Psalm 118 is one of the Hallel Psalms that was sang at Jewish feasts, especially the Passover. Hallel simply means “Praise” (King James Version Bible Dictionary).
Even though we are not engaged in the Passover ceremony today we can still praise God for His goodness and mercy. We can give Him praise for this day. God gave us this day and we should rejoice because of his kindness. Do not wait until tomorrow to give Him praise, because tomorrow may never come.
A family friend went to work a few days ago in supposedly good health and strength. Before 10:00 am, he was rushed to the hospital but to no avail. Most interestingly, when I read the cover of his obituary and noted his birth, 1967, I began to thank God-this was the same year I was born. It could have been me. In fact, it could have been you. So, it is essential that we thank God and rejoice for “This” day that He has given us.
The encouragement today is to honor Him for “THIS” day that He has given us. God has given us today and we must make the most of it by glorifying and thanking Him for it.
