03/25/2022
Are we having a good day, or bad one today? I hope that this is an exceptionally good one for you, but life is also sprinkled throughout with days where we wake up wondering how we will make it, and praying for deliverance. On days such as this we need to stoke up the fire of our faith, and remember that no matter what happens during this day we are God’s children, and this is the day that He has made. It is alright to feel a sense of desperation, as a matter of fact every Bible account shows us that our Father demonstrates His greatest love, mercy, and provision, during desperate times, so if we trust, if we have faith, then He will lead us, and we will not succumb to despair, or find ourselves in the grasp of our faith’s greatest enemy… fear.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 ESV
From the time we are children we are taught to sing this verse. It is an upbeat song written by David with a new and infectious tune that will stay with us through the worst of days. When I wake up knowing that I am facing one of my bad days, or a day of desperation, I like to sing this verse over and over again as I dress myself, and prepare for what lies ahead. It bolsters my faith, and heightens my trust in the Lord. On bad days Satan looks for a chink in our armor, some tiny opening into which he can slip the thin blade of fear, or for us to drop our shield just enough that he can thrust his spear point of despair into us.
We should lift up Prayers of thanksgiving as we begin every days, because they reaffirm our faith, and strengthen us, but they help us to the utmost as we prepare to step into our most desperate times… when we are facing storms of epic proportion, when Satan tells us that no one would blame us for being afraid, or for weeping in despair. This is when our prayers, and singing, are truly effective. Although our prayers lift our spirits every day, they are especially powerful on our bad days when the storms are upon us. David encountered many such storms during his life, and these inspired him to praise God, pray in desperation, and write his greatest Psalms. Read all of Psalm 34, but listen to these three verses in particular…
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 34:1 ESV
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalm 34:19 ESV
And…
“The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”
Psalm 34:22 ESV
Today our opening verse was a song, and one of profound encouragement, but something that most of us don’t consider as we sing it is that this song is wrapped in Jesus Christ, and a prayer for salvation. The sentence immediately preceding it speaks of Jesus, our blessed cornerstone…
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”
Psalm 118:22-23 ESV
And the sentence that follows it is a prayer for our salvation…
“Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!”
Psalm 118:25 ESV
Easter is fast approaching, and the passion of a Christ begins with Jesus giving us our greatest example of how to pray when we are facing desperate times. He separates himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, and prays that this cup be removed from Him, but after making that plea, He falls back into His faith, and reaffirms His obedience to the will of God. Listen carefully to His words…
“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”
Luke 22:41-43 ESV
Like Jesus, we are strengthened by our bolstered faith, and our absolute obedience to God’s will, and all of this comes with the absolute realization that God is our all in all, and this is the day that He has made. By rejoicing and being glad, even in the storms that come, we are able to face every hardship with confidence, because if God is for us then who, or what, can be against us.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
Romans 8:31-32 ESV
Despite what you might be facing today, will you begin your day by praying a prayer of thanksgiving? As you prepare to face the challenges that are before you, will you joyfully sing Psalm 118:24, and receive the blessing it will bring you?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for this day and all that it brings, because it is truly the day that you have made, and knowing that nothing in it is stronger than you, or can overcome your will, I shall rejoice in it! I might suffer, but you will comfort me. I might thirst, but you will give me living water to relieve my parched tongue. I might grow weary, but you will strengthen me, and even if this is the day in which I will face death it will be the day I will be with you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who holds all things in the palm of your hand. Merciful are you, and unending is your love towards us. We praise your name for every moment of this day; the good and the bad alike, and we give you all of the glory as we faithfully obey your will in the midst of every tempest, and any temptation we might face in it. Hear our prayers Father, and calm every fear that seeks to own us, wipe away every tear that falls as despair confronts us, and give us the faith, strength, and obedience of Christ as we drink this day from your cup. Wash us in His blood Lord, and forgive us of our sins. See in us the image of Jesus, and in judgement we pray that you pronounce us worthy in Him. This is indeed the day that you have made, and we rejoice in it as we take our place before you, and are seated at your eternal table forevermore.
Rich Forbes