“This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  (Psalm 118:24)

Each day is a new day. There is nothing like it, none in the past and there will never be in the future. TODAY is a precious and unrepeatable gift that the Lord has made. What is expected of us TODAY is to rejoice and be glad in it.

How do we get to enjoy the PRESENT that He has made? I believe one of the ways is to view each day as an adventure. We hold nothing in our hands even if we carefully plan it the very way we want it. Why not put our trust in the Lord Who carefully planned it out? We don’t know what the future holds, but when we know the One who holds our future, it puts us to rest. When peace dwells in our hearts richly, only then we get to enjoy the day fully.

If we go on a guided tour to a place we’ve never been, we just put ourselves in the hands of the guide who knows the place well. We don’t worry about the itinerary and the necessary fees for it has already been paid for before it started. It is meant for us to enjoy and have an adventure.  Everything is planned out with all its stops and timings.

I was blessed by the Lord to join the pilgrimage tour in Israel a couple of years ago. I was told that everything was all set, the airfares, hotels, buses, boatrides, food, entrance fees and even the necessary tips. It was a prepaid and prearranged trip.

Knowing this, it put me to a posture of rest. My expectations were set to focus on how and when divine encounters will fall on me as I step into the place where Jesus was born, walked, lived and did miracles.  It is the holy place where my Savior died for me.  It is the holy place where my Redeemer resurrected and ascended to SET ME FREE!  Because it was a guided tour, I enjoyed every moment of it without room for worry of where to go, what to eat, where to sleep, etc etc.  My trust was anchored on what was promised to me before onset of the trip.

Why not akin our lives to live each day with our Divine Guide? He knows what surprises He positioned along the way. He knows whether the road would be uphill or downhill. He knows the amount of strength that we need each moment. He knows the route best and He is wooing us to follow His lead for IN HIM is the safest place to be. When we get consious of His presence, then we are at the right place at the right time, doing the right thing with a right heart, with right thoughts coming into our minds and right words coming out from our mouths.  Knowing that He is WITH us, we get encouraged that Someone greater is IN us, FOR us and UPON us, who then can come against us?

Yes, we may have a list of “to dos” each day that serves as our guideline but be loosed when things come up here and there that aren’t according to what we planned.  We are to trust Him that His plans are better than ours.  He SURELY KNOWS His plans for us and they are always to prosper us and never to harm us to give us a confident expectation of the good things coming our way (Jeremiah 29:11).  Stress and anxiety comes when deadlines are set. But God only has LIFELINES set for us. When we look to Him, seek Him, obey Him, be aware of Him, MORE will be accomplished.

To enjoy TODAY is to give Him thanks every step of the way. What we give thanks for, we get conscious of it coming to pass. Thanksgiving helps us see events in our lives from His perspective. Acknowledging Him in all of our ways allows us to see and hear His leading as He directs and guides our steps.

When we recognize His ways and deeds each day and acknowledge that it is the Lord’s doing, there is no other way to respond but to give Him thanks for it is marvelous in our eyes.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1)

Prayer:  Heaven Father, thank Your for the gift of today.  Thank You for always being with us as each new day unfolds with Your new and fresh mercies.  Thank You, Jesus, that You have gone before us ever ready to fill our every need along the way.  In You all things consist therefore in You all that we need exist.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for being our Divine Guide, Who knows all things, that we may be able to enjoy the adventure of TODAY as You strengthen and encourage us with Your presence every step of the way.  Amen!