PSALM 118:24

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2007

CAN WE REJOICE ON A BAD DAY?

“This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

I may have used this verse for a devotion at an earlier time. One of the great things about God’s Word is that many verses have more than one statement to make. Such is the case with this verse. We usually think of rejoice as being something that we do when things go right. For the time of meditation today, I simply ask, CAN WE REJOICE ON A BAD DAY?

This Devotion relates to my RAMBLING THOUGHT for today which you can find on the RAMBLING THOUGHTS PAGE of this web site. There I talk about what we can learn from a bad experience such as my basement having water that caused damage.

If my basement fills with water, what is there to rejoice about? All I see is water damage, a mess to be cleaned and some things destroyed along with the expensive repairs. What is there to rejoice about?

I can rejoice because there was a plumber to call who knows how to deal with water in the basement.

I can rejoice because there was someone to call who has the ability to repair my furnace.

I can rejoice because the man who installed my flooring is available to replace it.

I can rejoice because I have a friend who has a shop vac and is always willing to help others.

I can rejoice because there are family members and friends who will drop everything to come and help.

I can rejoice because so many of the damaged things can be replaced.

I am a worrier at times. Over the years I have gotten better because of a motto that my wife lives:  If you can’t do anything about it, why worry about it?  Get busy doing something that you can do.

One last thought. God made the day, and that is GOOD. God has promised to be with us each day and that is GOOD. No matter what bad might try to creep in, God always is the good to help us through. It may be the plumber or it may be YOU. The bad may happen; there is nothing anyone can do to change what has happened. Even on a Bad day, REJOICE because God is with you and that can make everything GOOD. REJOICE!

WE PRAY:

As a mother stills her child,
Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boisterous waves obey Thy will,
When Thou sayest to them, “Be still!”
Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

from JESUS, SAVIOR, PILOT ME, cyberhymnal.org

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

The next time you have a bad day, concentrate on the good that is there to help you overcome the bad. It may be a person, a talent, or even a gift. When you thank God for the good you will be on a good start of overcoming the bad.