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

In Genesis 1, we read about the creation of the world. According to scripture, it took God 6 days to create day and night, the sky and the land, the seas, plants and trees, land and sea creatures, and finally mankind. As we read through this chapter in Genesis, we notice that at the end of each day, God says what He created is good. He made each day with order and purpose. Nothing God did in the creation of the universe was chaotic or unordered.

Something jumped out at me as I looked deeper into the first part of Psalm 118:24. Read those words again:

This is the day that the Lord has made

If I think back to how God created the universe, I can be pretty certain that NOTHING about this day will go unnoticed to God. The Lord is near, overseeing everything. He is an active participant in the day, therefore I can rejoice and be glad in it – no matter the circumstance. I can know that the Lord is going to use whatever happens in this day to grow me, shape me, and mold me into the image of His son, Jesus. Throughout the day, I can lean in, press on, rely on HIM more than I did yesterday or the day before.  As I walk through this day aware of how close the Lord is, my relationship with Him will grow even deeper and stronger.

So in this day, I can rejoice and be glad even if that means:

• I am in the middle of financial difficulty
• My marriage is failing
• My world has been turned upside down by senseless violence
• My teenager has fallen into the “wrong” crowd and is out of control
• My health is failing
• My family member is dying
• My day doesn’t make sense
• I’m overwhelmed at work
• My new normal now includes a prosthetic arm or leg

In whatever the circumstance…I can rejoice and give thanks because GOD IS GOOD. His steadfast (consistent, stable, constant, unwavering, faithful) love endures forever.

This truth that I have discovered helps me to look at my day in a different way. I hope it does the same for you too. Every day, I am becoming more aware of God’s presence in the good and the bad – there is not one second of my day that God doesn’t see. I have not and will never slip out of His sight and in that, I can rejoice no matter what I’m walking through.

Related scriptures:

1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28