Joy For Today
Do you wake up joyful every day?
Verse of the Day
“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Today’s Devotional
This is an easy one, right? God made today. So we should be glad and joyful. Right?
Ummmmmm…… not always.
I believe that God created this exact day. But I do not wake up every morning and jump right out of bed and start rejoicing. Some days are a struggle.
But I believe that in the midst of my struggle, I have a choice. Am I choosing to focus on my struggle or focus on my God? If I am told to take every thought captive and make each thought obedient to Christ, this implies that many of my thoughts are NOT obedient to Jesus. So when I worry, I need to choose to remind myself that God is in control. The God that created this day is bigger than my fears. When my feelings are hurt, I need to remind myself that the God that created this day is bigger than my feelings. And the God that created this day LOVES ME SO MUCH.
When I read all of Psalm 118, I do not think David is happy and joyful, I think he is scared. And instead of giving in to that fear, he wrote a song about thanksgiving, how good God is, God’s enduring love, and the past victories that God has given to the people of Israel. But in verse 25, David says, “Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.” That’s 4 “please”s in two sentences, in case anyone is counting. To me, that means that whatever situation David was in, he REALLY needed God to show up. What a great example of how we should approach our life (and God) when we are scared, or hurting, or struggling in any way. During the times when we really need God to show up. Give thanks. Remind myself of God’s love. Remember God’s acts in my past. Declare God’s dominion over this day. Ask for help. Praise God. Give thanks. Declare his love for me.
I will freely admit that it takes me a minute to get to this place, or anywhere near it. Like today. This day did not start well for me. Because I allowed my emotions and hurt feelings to take control. Knowing that I was acting poorly, I made myself make a gratitude list in my head (while very aggressively carrying things to my car, in a grown-up tantrum). It was not working very well, but I kept at it. Then, once in the car, I listened to praise music. I made myself sing out loud. It started to soothe me. Then God put some people in my path who lovingly spoke truth about God’s will versus my will. And I realized that I was completely enveloped in self will. That doesn’t mean that my feelings weren’t legitimately hurt, but allowing that to be my focus was not God’s will for my day. God made this day to remind me that he alone is God, that he loves me (even in my mess), and that he can help redirect me into a beautiful experience of this day if I will allow it. Because today is the day that the Lord made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in this day. Even if it takes me a minute to get there.
Journal Prompts
In your journal today:
Give thanks. Remind yourself of God’s love. Remember God’s acts in your past.
Declare God’s dominion over this day. Ask for help. Praise God. Give thanks. Declare his love for you.
We must declare these truths until we believe them. Or to remember that we really do believe them, in spite of our circumstances.