I am wondering if we really appreciate and value the gift of each new day that comes to us. There are life circumstances that cause us to reflect that we really do not want to take a single moment of any day for granted. When we recognize that God has fashioned each new day for us and with us in mind, we will want to acknowledge the Divine Giver and respond to Him with gratitude. In Psalm 118:24, we read, “This is the day that the LORD has made.; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” We have opportunity to consider what we have to be glad in for the days that God has provided for us to live. I have a daily practice of recording my blessings from God for every day. I do not want to pretend that I am responsible for the blessings I experience or to overlook God’s involvement in taking care of each day of life. When I receive intentionally each day as a gift from God, it will affect how I approach that day. When we believe that God has placed the new day in our hands, then we will feel a sense of responsibility for what we will do with the precious gift of another day that we have been given. Our prayers can help to shape our outlook and how we approach that day that the LORD has made. If our outlook is characteristically negative, then we will not expect much that is good in any day. If instead we are declaring and maintaining that, “This is the day that the LORD has made,” we will be looking to God to accompany us into the gift of the day that our LORD has made. We won’t be looking back at a day and wishing we had let God guide us in how we lived the day. New days are always before us waiting to be received and welcomed in ways that will bring glory to God. The best way that we can rejoice and be glad in any day is to approach the day prayerfully and trust God to guide us through the day according to His plans. This will be the focus of our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow July 13th at 1 pm.
Praying that each morning as our day begins that we will give the day that God has made back into His wise hands, Pastor Lola
Our LORD God each day that comes to us has been made and arranged by You. We want to approach each day with that awareness. We pray to look to each day at hand with expectancy of the good that You can bring about in that day. Thank You God that as we seek You and Your plans for the day, that wrong can be made right and what is broken can be mended. Thank You that what is wounded can be healed and You God can bring about redemption for all that needs redeeming. We know that this is only possible through the active power of Your Spirit at work in our damaged world and in us. Our prayer today is that we will receive the gift of this day and consider carefully how this day can be lived for You. We do not want to be consumed or held back by the regrets of yesterdays. We want to keep on expecting You to reveal Yourself and Your loving ways in each day that is given. Forgive us for the times that we get so caught up in our own comfort and pleasure rather than looking for how we can serve You well in giving of ourselves, our time, and our resources. We are praying that our rejoicing will come as we make ourselves available for You to bless others through us. For the whole day long, we pray for a spirit of rejoicing because our lives reflect Your infinite grace. We ask that we will make our plans for each day with our desire centered in pleasing You. Our God, please use every moment of every day to extend Your kingdom of truth and justice. Where trust has been destroyed and people understandably feel that they do not know who and what to believe, we thank You that we find certain truth in You. We want to be people who take time to discern truth and to live each day in truth filled ways. Wherever there is temptation to bend the truth or to participate in deception, we pray that our days will express determination to be guided by You. God we do pray for wholesome attitudes to every aspect of the days that You make and give us to live. The tendency to enter into a very negative outlook is pervasive all around us. Please show us how to be instruments that You can use to bring Your hope and light to the places where people have come to expect very little that is good and uplifting. We never want to hold ourselves above others. We know that the possibility of living this day and any day in soul redeeming ways will only come about because You set that up. Please be the Designer of what is needed in the hearts of people to draw us close to You. We pray for the first rays of the new day dawning that will reveal You at work in us and through us for the good of our souls and so that Your will is done. Praise You God for the intent to live this day and every day for You. We make this our prayer in the Name of Your Son and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN.