Day #2646

March 30, 2021

Today’s Thoughts on Scripture comes from Psalm 118:24: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (ELW)

This is not the first time this particular verse has been chosen for “Tuesday’s Thoughts on Scripture” (See note #1932). That God is in the midst of all of our days is a source of great hope and promise. Especially as we are in the midst of Holy Week. 

But, what does it look like to really rejoice and be glad in every day, especially the ones filled with doubt, fear, grief, anger, etc? Is this even a possibility? It is hard to imagine that Jesus rejoiced and was glad on Maundy Thursday as he ate his last supper with the disciples. He knew the one who would betray him was at the table. He knew the pain his followers would endure in the hours that followed. Then there is his own suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane as he prayed for the cup to pass from him. Suppose he was able to still rejoice and be glad for that day? 

Then, lest we forget about Good Friday as Jesus hung like a common criminal on a cross, mocked and spit on. Rejoice and be glad? Really? What could have helped the human part of Jesus rejoice and be glad at that point was perhaps his Godly part. The part of him that knew the rest of the story. The part of him that could trust God with his whole being. The part of him that gave away his whole self, knowing that through his suffering and separation, others would be able to not suffer or be separated. Looking at it from this perspective, there was certainly rejoicing and gladness. Beyond compare!

For us, in those days when we struggle to find reasons to rejoice and be glad, we can be assured that God is with us. We may not have a Godly part of us (as Jesus was fully human and fully divine), but God’s love for us is solid and secure and everlasting, no matter how we feel. And in that assurance is reason and hope, to yes, rejoice and be glad in each day, for they are all made by our God. 

Blessings. And prayers.