Psalm 118:24
“This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Reflection:
I love this scripture. It was always an easy one to remember in our VBS memory verse quizzes as a child, and it’s one I can speak aloud daily without second thought. Seeing the sunrise in the morning when I used to be commuting to work always reminded me of this scripture and helped me to start my day off with the right intention and focus. Besides, it’s so easy to rejoice when the chaos of your day hasn’t quite begun and you have a few moments to yourself.

But what about now? In the midst of a pandemic when nothing at all feels normal anymore. How do we rejoice and be glad?

In the Old Testament, David and his family suffered from nearly every sin – murder, adultery, corruption, greed, and the list goes on. Despite David’s flaws, he had a heart for God and was a great man of God.  David was consistently faithful to God throughout his entire life. Though he was flawed, and his life was oftentimes a streamline of hardships, God’s word reminds us “this is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” He penned some of the most beautiful passages of scripture in the Bible that give us hope during a dark time, help dig us from the pit of shame, and give us the words to praise our beautiful Creator.

In the New Testament, we can look no further than Paul to find hope during despair. Paul spent his time in prison praising Jesus through singing songs and writing letters of hope.  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).  His encouragement continues “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23).

In these days of uncertainty, the last thing we may want to do is rejoice. Today, for a few moments, I challenge you to turn off the news, put away your phone and look around. Go on a walk, look out the window or reflect on a cherished memory. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day. Help me to rejoice and be glad because you made today. And today is a gift full of moments that I’ll never have again. Remind me to see YOU through the beauty of today and to stop and rejoice in it.