OPEN your eyes — Is this God’s day or yours?
This is the day which the LORD has made;
Psalm 118:24 Revised Standard Version
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Starting your day right
Here’s how I should start my day.
Roger
This is the day which the LORD has made…
I don’t begin my day with this verse or do I generally begin MY day with a Psalm (although perhaps I should).
PSALMS, pictured below, from my old RSV Bible which I received when as a youth I joined our local church.
Pictured (L) – Roger’s RSV Bible © OT – 1952, © NT – 1946
I do find that IF I begin my day in the Bible that my focus on the day turns toward God.
And note the focus of Psalm 118:24 – This is the day which the LORD has made…
Whose ‘day’ is it when you wake up?
Good god it’s MORNING!
or…
GOOD MORNING, GOD.
yôm (the day) יוֹם
When I declared not my sin,
my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
Psalm 32:3
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Selah
Psalm 68:19
My mouth is filled with thy praise, and with thy glory all the day.
My mouth will tell of thy righteous acts, of thy deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.
Psalm 71:8,15 RSV
Is your mouth filled with PRAISE (all the day long)?
Psalms praise the Lord !
Does your mouth tell of the LORD’s righteous acts, ‘of thy deeds of salvation,’ my fellow mortal?
How frequently we fail in this with no thought of the LORD as we open our eyes to a new DAY.
Many PSALMS and much Scripture will help us to start our day right.
Rejoice! -gîl – גִּיל
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.
Psalm 16:9
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32:11
Many Psalms connect rejoicing with gladness.
Shouldn’t that be reason enough to begin our day praising the LORD with gladness, thankfulness and joy?
śāmaḥ – be glad
Gladden the soul of thy servant, for to thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:4
I was glad
Psalm 122:1 KJV – A Song of Ascents. Of David.
when they said unto me,
Let us go
into the house
of the LORD.
Starting worship right
AT one time we began worship on Sundays with a focus on God.
Our family and communities expected us to observe God’s day of rest, worship and fellowship in the love of the Lord.
Likewise the Lord calls for us to worship HIM first — LOVE the LORD your GOD — considering His will in our interaction with others in the day ahead.
Prayer… Scripture… — the listening kind of prayer… a Spirit-applied impact of Scripture.
YES, I fail in this most frequently, as I suspect that on some days you may as well.
This is the day which the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
What’s your first impression of the new day ahead?
Psalm 118:
I urge you to read Psalm 118 in its entirety.
The psalmist has more to offer in rejoicing and gladness.
It is responsive by design, appealing to each family worshipping the LORD to answer God personally.
Thanksgiving for the LORD’S Saving Goodness.
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!
Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures for ever.”
“His steadfast love endures for ever.”
Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures for ever.”
“His steadfast love endures for ever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say, “His steadfast love endures for ever.”
“His steadfast love endures for ever.”
YES, respond ALL in worship — this is God’s day.
This is WORSHIP — God’s day in community worship — responsive affirmation of individual families worshipping the LORD our God.
Witness of those called to worship
Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.
Psalm 118:5
- With the LORD on my side I do not fear. What can man do to me?
- It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Psalm 118:4
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD…
Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD…
Do not miss some of the uplifting verses I have omitted here for brevity.
And here are three additional verses preceding the psalmist’s verse on THIS DAY — one which you may know from the words of JESUS.
I thank thee that thou hast answered me and hast become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.
This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
Psalm 118:21-23
A Gospel start to your day.
Start your day remembering that we have a SAVIOR — JESUS the MESSIAH — the rejected stone.
Jesus Christ read and quoted these same Psalms.
See the link below to these Gospel quotes of Psalm 118 from Matthew 21, Mark 12 and Luke 20.
You may find the context in which Jesus quotes Psalm 118 encouraging in beginning your day destined for the trouble of this world from which we are saved.
Thou art my God,
and I will give thanks to thee;
thou art my God,
I will extol thee.
O give thanks to the LORD,
for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever!
Psalm 118:28-29 RSV
quotes from BlueLetterBible.org
Let all the saints of Christ’s local church say,
“His steadfast love endures for ever.”
Secure Links to sources
- Psalm 118 RSV
- Psalm 118:24 RSV
- Lexicon :: Strong’s H3117 – yôm (Psalms)
- yom – day
- gil – rejoice
- samah – glad
- the stone the builders rejected
Finally, this is the day the LORD has made for the first in our Summer series for 2025 CE.
Thanks be to God for this day.
Summer PSALMS –
STAY TUNED…
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