Psalm 118:1,5-9, 22-29

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

⁵ In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free.
⁶ The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
⁷ Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

²² The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
²³ This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.
²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
 ²⁵ Please, Lord, please save us.
Please, Lord, please give us success.
²⁶ Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷ The Lord is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will exalt you!

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

Yesterday morning was one of those mornings when all I could do was marvel at God’s day as it was unfolding before me.  I was driving to see my bestest of all best buds.  The drive takes about 20 minutes.  This was a crisp January morning; cold but strangely void of snow.  The sleeping countryside shimmered beneath a fresh veil of morning frost.  A full moon was still suspended in the early morning sky, shining brighter as the sun approached the eastern horizon, reluctant to relinquish her hold on the night.  As the morning dawn began to give way to sunlight I could see a light fog hugging the curves of the landscape dancing with the low clouds of smoke drifting about from the wood furnaces hard at work in the farm houses I passed.  With each moment the sun advanced turning the sky everywhere that beautiful pale blue and soft blush pink that beckons us to start the day.  Still the moon shone brightly, clinging to western horizon, just above the tree line.  The country highway I drove was a quiet one so I was able to drive slower than I usually would to soak in as much of this beauty as I could, knowing this gift would soon disappear as the minute hand marched forward into the day.  Even the cows lazing about seemed a lovely gift on this morning, almost as if they were encouraging me to slow down and fill my soul with this incredible morning.

This is the day that the Lord has made.  I’m afraid to say that I don’t normally take the time to enjoy the beauty of the Michigan countryside surrounding the tiny town that I live in.  I’m always much too busy with the busyness of doing nothing it seems, to even notice the beauty in the places I take for granted.  I’m so very grateful that I did not do that yesterday.  The memory of that beautiful morning hangs in the art gallery of my mind as an exceptionally precious gift.

This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!!!

His Love Endures Forever ~ Chris Tomlin