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This Is the Day!
- Sharon Jaynes
- May 14
- 3 min read
Updated: May 15
The beach was scarcely populated as I sank my bare feet into the shimmering sand. Waves rushed forward as if to say “hello,” then shyly retreated out to sea. I was looking for unbroken shells along the shore, which was carpeted with bits and pieces of shattered treasures polished by the toss and tumble of the tides.
Sometimes whole is hard to find.
Looking up from my hunting, I spied an unexpected treasure — a “sudden glory” moment.
A young woman pushed her elderly friend or relative in a wheelchair to the water’s edge. The wheelchair’s large “sand wheels” sank into the shore as the welcoming waves rushed to wash over the woman’s bare feet and shins like greeting a longtime friend. Foamy fingers of water wrapped around her legs in a warm embrace.
Wispy gray hair waved about as every inch of her wrinkled face smiled into the wind. When she lifted her face toward the sun, she closed her eyes as if in worship. In her silence, I could almost hear her heart praising God for another day to experience the beauty of His creation.
God, I whispered, I want to be like her when I’m her age.
Through the roar of the ocean, it was as though His gentle whisper answered my heart: Why wait?
Those two words shook me from my complacency!
Like you, I have a looming to-do list and an even longer prayer list, but I never want future concerns to overshadow the gift of this day. Why wait?
One psalmist wrote, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). The word “rejoice” here is translated from the Hebrew najilah, which also means “to spin around.” That sounds like dancing to me! “Be glad in it” is translated from the Hebrew samach, which also means“to brighten up, be blithe, gleesome.”
And what day was the author talking about? This day! Today! Let us rejoice today!
Here are a few other verses that stir my heart to praise God for this day.
“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30, NIV).
“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me” (Psalm 103:2, NLT).
“I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done” (Psalm 9:1, NLT).
The elderly woman in her sand-wheeled chair was a gift to me that day. As I passed by her upturned face, I noticed rivulets of tears trickling over her smile. My tears of gratitude matched hers.
Heavenly Father, I am overcome with gratitude today. Help me to see past the daily to consider the divine. This is the day … this one right here … that You have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I praise You for who You are and what You do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we don’t know what to pray, we can always pray God’s Word. It’s the same way with praise! Click here to download a free list of Bible verses to use in your time of praise and thanksgiving.
Let’s memorize a verse together today: “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (ESV) If you’ll do it with me, leave a comment and say, “I’m in!”
In Sharon’s book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More, you can discover how to experience the divine in the daily and the miraculous in the mundane. Right in the middle of your busy day, God is longing to commune with you! This book shows you how to recognize that still, small voice.
Sharon Jaynes is a conference speaker and author of 26 books including When You Don’t Like Your Story: What if Your Worst Chapter Could Become Your Greatest Victories, The Power of a Woman’s Words, Praying for Your Child and Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe, and Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence. She is past Veep. and radio co-host for Proverbs 31 Ministries, co-founder of Girlfriends in God, and avid blogger. Sharon is a storyteller who loves weaving story and Biblical principles to encourage and empower women to walk in courage and confidence as they grasp their true identity as a child of God and a co-heir with Christ. Her passion is to help women have a better story with Jesus as the hero. Sharon and her husband, Steve, call NC home.
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