Scripture: Psalm 118:22-24
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.
Thought for the Day: Building on those same scriptural words from yesterday, I point to those familiar closing words: “This is the day the LORD has made…” Those words are referenced in numerous and very diverse settings. They can be shouted as a call to worship on Sunday morning or quietly prayed as one watches a sunrise. The author of the Psalm is announcing a new thing God is doing, and though it is a human tendency to assume it will happen some other day than today, the author says, “This is the day…” There is nothing novel about human beings dreaming alongside God of something new and marvelous, but then placing it beyond the present. And when tomorrow comes, we continue to hold it at an equal and safe distance. It allows us to speak with hopeful joy without ever suggesting a need to take responsibility for what God is needing us to do today. We have a tendency to think, “Soon is the day that the Lord will do the new thing, and I will most definitely rejoice in the new thing God does. But in the meantime, I will hold tightly to my old ideals that keep God’s new thing just out of reach.”
Prayer: We have been waiting too long! Our waiting is not for you, Merciful God, but for our own readiness to leap in and join the life-changing work you are doing. In Jesus, be our model and inspiration. Amen.
