This is the Day: A Reflection on Psalm 118

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. – Psalm 118:24

It’s hard to imagine in these COVID-19 times, but there was a time growing up when that song was a cue for my church to get up and go say hello and shake hands, hug friends and introduce yourself to newcomers. Right now, those times seem so far away.

I’m sure that some of you are familiar with this verse and this song. It’s often used on Sundays to remind us that God has brought us together to worship him on that day. It’s a good reminder that whatever today contains, God has ordained it, and we should rejoice and be glad in it. But that slightly changes the meaning of that verse. Sung on a Sunday or just any day our meaning is closer to “This is a day that the Lord has made.” To find out what the day is, we should look at the verse in context, since it shows up at the end of a section of verses in Psalm 118 (verses 21-24):

 I thank you that you have answered me

    and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the 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.

The day was the day that Jesus became the cornerstone of salvation through his death and resurrection for those who believe in Him, even though it is foolishness and a stumbling block to some. When you say or sing “This is the day”, you can rejoice and be glad in what God has given you today, even amidst the ravages of COVID-19, because He became your salvation, and Jesus paid with His life for it.

And so, my wife, Christine, and I have been talking over the last few weeks about how to approach the beginning of the school year, knowing that these are days that God has made, and yet concerned about returning to school. We are both educators, and we have four kids. What to do? Stay home? Go back to school and work? The answer will probably look different for different people. But along with the verse in Psalm 118, this verse in Job came to mind as a verse that is universally true for those of us at West London Alliance Church:

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21b

Regardless of the circumstances of today, through the worry, fear, discomfort, challenges and unknown, we can hold to the promise that God is unchanging. He is still our salvation whether today He gives or takes away. And we can still bless the name of the Lord.  No matter what September 2020 looks like for you in the coming and going of life, remind each other of the Lord, and let others remind you as well.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deut. 6:4-9

So this week, whether we are on the phone with a friend, on the way to school or work, or at home, let’s fellowship with others and rejoice in God’s holy name, for He has become our salvation, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Lord, we look forward to when ‘the day’ is a celebration of your return. Until that great day, grant us peace and joy, perseverance and hope, according to your faithfulness and love. We bless your holy name. Amen.