This Is The Day!

Psalms 118:24

I have heard many people say that “Today is just another day.” To me that sounds like boredom or monotony. It almost seems like we take each day for granted and never fully appreciate the uniqueness of everyday!

G K Chesterton wrote about the monotony of life and how God exults in the monotonous. He said in his book Orthodoxy

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”

Chesterton has in mind the words of Jesus “Except you become as a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 18:3) It takes a child like faith to be able to maintain an important aspect of our faith which is Wonder. If we ever lose the wonder of God then God becomes ordinary and monotonous. And if God become ordinary and monotonous, then life will quickly follow suit.

The Psalmist said that “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I believe he had two things in mind when the Holy Spirit had him to pen this Psalm.

First, every day is a new day and unique in its making. Some men have the idea that the world is like a clock that is wound up that runs like some mindless mechanism. But we as God’s people know that God is active in every moment, of every day, of every minute and every event in the life of every person. It is called Providence and just as Chesterton said not all daisies are made alike, neither are all days and it should thrill us to wake up everyday with the attitude that it is a day he has made and what is his unique purpose for my life in the day. It should teach us to live for him moment by moment every day of our life.

Second, I think he was talking about an unique or specific day that God has made in eternity past, that would change the world forever. That day is the day Jesus Christ died on the cross. In verses 19-23 the Psalmist is writing in the office of a prophet here when he says “Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: This gate of the LORD, Into which the righteous shall enter. I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, And art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused Is become the head stone of the corner. “This is the LORD's doing; It is marvellous in our eyes.” Jesus would quote verses 22and 23 just a day or so before his death on the cross, bringing this particular day into reality. He rejoiced in this day and we are too because this is the only means of reconciliation to God and our salvation.

We should never lose the wonder of the cross! By rejoicing in that day, it brings uniqueness to everyday of our life. Everyday day we should do as Paul said, “God forbid should I glory save the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14) To glory in that day brings glory to everyday and a newness to each day as we remember that this day was made for us and us for it!

Pastor Robby