“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
~ Psalm 118:24
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you morning kids? A morning person like to get up early in the morning. Your grandmaa is not a morning person. Your grandpaa is a morning person. Your grandpaa likes to watch God light up the morning sky while using a mixture of colors to paint clouds that may be hanging around east’s horizon and then seeing a bright yellow globe come into play again to take charge of another new day. Do you wake up each morning wondering what the new day is going to be like? Do you wake up in each morning looking forward to what the new day is bringing you? Do you wake up each morning knowing that the new day is going to be the perfect day that God has made just for you? The Psalm 118 psalm song author probably had a very good reason for writing this psalm song. The psalm song author in verse 24 scribed “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” This psalm song was written as a liturgical song that was probably sung as the final song at the end of annual scheduled festival activities. This psalm song may have been the song or hymn that was sung by Jesus and his gang of twelve – minus Judas Iscariot who left early during the Passover celebration after Jesus told him that he was going to betray Him, at the end of the Passover celebration that they celebrated together in the city Jerusalem as Jesus began His final days on planet Earth as an incarnate man.
God – as God the Spirit, had a reason for breathing the words of this song psalm on a psalm song writer for him to scribe. This psalm song was written to God – as God – as God the Spirit, breathed the words on the psalm song writer to scribe as a song or hymn of thanksgiving for having saved His specially chosen guys and gals – who were the Israelite people groups guys and gals, from enemy guys and gals. A psalm song writer may have scribed this psalm song right after a major, hard-fought battle that God’s specially chosen guys had fought and won against a powerful confederacy or coalition of enemy people groups nations of guys and gals. A king from David’s lineage or ancestry may have been who led the liturgical singing/chanting of this psalm song – which repeatedly emphasizes the love that God has for His specially chosen guys and gals and His divine role in how He delivered His specially chosen guys and gals from their enemy people groups of guys and gals. A psalm song writer may have written this psalm song to remember how God had led His specially chosen guys and gals out of the land of Egypt and how He divinely helped His specially chosen guys overrun the enemy people groups of guys, gals and kids who were living in the land of Canaan – the land which God gave to His specially chosen guys and gals – who were the Israelite people groups guys and gals, to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . a psalm song writer may have written this psalm song not long after God’s specially chosen guys and gals – who had gone through a forced exile in the land of Babylonia, finished rebuilding the temple of God that was located in the city of Jerusalem, or a psalm song writer may have written this psalm song to celebrate and help commemorate the completing of the rebuilding of the walls that surround the city of Jerusalem. Whether an Israelite people group king or a Levi tribal clan priest led this psalm song chant is irrelevant to the fact that this psalm song praises God for Who He is, that this psalm song rejoices in what God has done and what He is going to do for His specially chosen guys and gals and that this psalm song concludes with even more praise for God for His unmerited goodness and love.
How do you praise God? You can praise God by admiring how He awakes each day. You can praise God by communicating thanks to Him for being in charge of the day that He is unfolding for you to enjoy. You can praise God by reflecting with Him on the times that you know more than at other times that He was the One Who took you to, through and past a crisis moment. God allowed/led His specially chosen guys and gals to, through and past a lot of crisis moments. God will always allow/lead His specially elected guys and gals – and kids like you, to, through and past crisis moments in order to teach His specially elected guys and gals – and kids like you, to trust in Him, to show His specially elected guys and gals – and kids like you, His love for them and to demonstrate to His specially elected guys and gals – and kids like you, how merciful and full of grace that He always is towards them. Have you ever shouted for joy because you were feeling so blessed about something? Right after your grandpaa slid across home plate after hitting his very first homerun, your grandpaa yelled so loud because he was so happy that your grandpaa’s dad thought that your grandpaa had hurt himself. Right after your grandmaa said yes to marrying your grandpaa, your grandpaa because he was so happy drove down Marsh Road beeping his horn at every car that he met. Right after your Aunt Lynn was born and at the moment that your grandpaa first saw your Aunt Lynn as she was being carted out of the room where she was born, your grandpaa wanted to jump and down because he was so happy because your Aunt Lynn was a baby girl – which your grandpaa was hoping for, and not a boy – which your grandmaa’s doctor had told her that your Aunt Lynn was going to be. How do you feel about your relationships with God? Do you want to jump up and down with joy because you know that God – as He is removing the dark robe of night, that He is opening His daylight window to another day of personalized surprises? Your grandpaa as of the editing of this missive – which is seventeen years after he wrote it and sent it to your dad to read to you, is now eighty years ago. Your grandpaa and grandmaa are very thankful for the blessing filled life that He is giving them.
Psalm 118 (628)