by Mo Mydlo
I got up this morning and as the sun was rising, I wrote in my journal, Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” I didn't catch an actual picture today as I was busy worshipping. But I had no problem looking through my photos to find one that I had snapped out of fear and awe of God. "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
It made me think about how God's joy comes in the morning. It makes no difference what the night brings, there is something magical about the sunrise. There is something peaceful. There is something dependable about the sun coming up. It's almost as if, some nights our emotions are screaming, just get here already, sunrise!
I love how the psalmist writes, "This is the day, the Lord has made." He didn't write, yesterday or tomorrow are the days, The Lord has made. He emphasizes today. He is writing in the present tense. He is writing about the only control he has, self-control in the present.
That's actually true for us and the way that we can stay in God's peace, living self-controlled lives, in the present.
Yes, the present time; today, is where our peace is. Living for yesterday and tomorrow steals our peace. We either get hung up on regrets and mistakes of yesterday, or fears and anxieties of trying to control tomorrow. When, in all actuality, yesterday is over, and tomorrow isn't promised.
The present is really the present. It's the place where God's grace and peace is. God isn't holding us in contempt for yesterday, if we have asked His forgiveness for something, He has already forgiven us and the bible says, forgotten it. And, tomorrow, is in God's hands, not ours. So, He hasn't even allowed us to need His grace for it yet. Today's problems and concerns are what we need His grace for. God is always on time, He's not even a day early, and He wants that for us. He desires we live one day at a time.
This psalmist got it. "This is the day, that the Lord has made, we will rejoice, and be glad in it." "We will rejoice" says, to me, it's a choice. It's a choice to rejoice! Come on somebody. You know I always say, If it rhymes, it's definitely from God. :) How about making a choice with me today, to live in the moment and choose to rejoice today? Living one day at a time is so much more peaceful. Tomorrow will have a whole different sunrise, don't miss todays, looking for it.