Psalm 118:21-29 (NRSV)
I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief 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 beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, 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. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
How many days are started by complaint because we see the "problems" we expect the day to bring and never open our eyes to see the day the Lord has made? It takes practice and some concerted effort to daily open your eyes to see the day the Lord has made and to rejoice and be glad in it. It seems that it is easier to wake up grumpy and complaining.
Do you ever wake up and the first thing out of your mouth is, "I don't want to get up. I don't want to go to work today"? You pull the covers over your head as if to shield yourself. How does that make your morning feel? For me it starts it off in a gray fog and doesn't get better as the day goes along. It's like putting a filter on my eyes which hides any goodness of the day and only lets me see problems. After several days, weeks, months of living like this it is hard to have a joyful heart.
My remedy is to change the way I start my day. I now set aside the first part of my day thinking and focusing on God and scripture. When I wake up, this is my first task so I get up with that thought on my mind and with anticipation of meeting with my Lord. It is a different starting point for my day and helps align me with a higher purpose; it prevents the fog from settling in.
My morning devotional times are like a lens for viewing the day through God's eyes. I first focus on God and scripture, spending time in prayer and meditation. During this time if worries of the day well up, I keep a pad of paper handy to jot the concerns down in a short simple statement. This offloads the concerns from my mind and allows me to quickly return my thoughts to the Lord. At the end of my devotional time I offer these concerns in prayer.
I now have a list of concerns for the day. I call this my watch list rather than my check list since I have offered each concern up in prayer and asked God to help me find success. I am watching for opportunities that God will bring to light for success for each concern. My mind is empowered with the faith that God will help me with every one.
With my concerns offered up in prayer and written down, my mind is now quieted. I can meditate on God and open my eyes to see the day the Lord has made and I can rejoice in it. My heart is lighter. I experience joy in my day.
Try this for one week:
- Set a regular early morning devotional appointment with God. In prayer thank God for the day, rejoice in the day and be glad for the day the Lord has given you. Keep a pad of paper and pen next to you so that as you purposefully rejoice and find gladness in the day, you can write down and offload any nagging concerns. Spend a set amount of time simply rejoicing and offloading your concerns, maybe 5 or 10 minutes.
- Next read a passage of scripture or a daily devotional and in your note book jot down any impressions or thoughts that come to mind from your reading.
- Next move to prayer over the concerns you have written down. Ask God to save you from worry and any pitfalls each concern my cause you and to give you success for each one. Ask him to give you the vision to see opportunities. Thank him for being with you and give your concerns to God.
- After you have lifted up your concerns and put them in God's hands, thank God again for the day and ask him to open your eyes to see this day as the day he has created for you.
- On Saturday morning, review your week's journal and add any successes next to your concerns. Then give thanks for a week of seeing each day the as the day the Lord has made and rejoice in your week.
Offer praise to God and sing songs of praise. Recognize the goodness of the Lord. Thank him for his loving kindness towards you. Ask God to be your light and to show you opportunities for success in all your daily concerns. Return thanks to God as you remember all the good things he has done for you. Your eyes will be opened to see the day the Lord has made and you will rejoice when you see it for it is a wondrous vision.
