Thank you, Lord, for this day you have made (Psalm 118: 22-29)

The stone that the builders rejected  has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing;  it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made;  let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God,  and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 118 22:29 ESV

“This is the day that the Lord has made;  let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)  There are many special days in our life that we may rejoice!  Graduation days, wedding day, birthdays. In fact, every day is a gift from God, and we should receive it with a grateful and joyful heart!  But we also have to admit that there are days that are easier to rejoice than other ones. “A time to laugh, and a time to weep”. We know in life, there are times that we would have to grieve and mourn.   So what is “this day” referring to in the context of Psalm 118? Again, this is a prophetic psalm prophesying the suffering, sacrifice, and victory of Christ.  And it reminds me of these two passages:

• “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father” (John 13:1),
• “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6)

While Jesus was singing this very last section of the last Hallel Psalm during His last Passover on earth, I would think He knew exactly what “this day” meant to Him!  He was about to face the darkest hour of age, and He was foreseeing great agony and wrath coming His way.  Yet He also knew “this is the day that the Lord has made”!  A day that the rejected stone to become the cornerstone! A day that He will suffer in our place, and a day that will bring forth great victory and joy to God and to us, and to reveal God’s marvelous work.  That was also a day and moment He was waiting for all His life on earth!  He endured the cross and shame for the joy that was set before Him!  So next time when we give thanks for a day, let it be a good day, or a bad day, may we remember what the Lord has done for us on that very day He has made, for the light to shine in darkness, and for the captives to be set free! 

Thank you, Lord, for this day!

Dear Lord, because of what you have done on this day, you became the cornerstone of our life! Thank you for not giving up when you were in great distress. Thank you for enduring the cross and shame for us, so we can rejoice over each new day we receive from you with new love, strength, and mercy.  Thank  you Lord, for your goodness and your steadfast love endures forever! 

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