This is the day

All nations (the surrounding tribes) compassed me about, 
but in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!

They compassed me about, yes, they surrounded me on every side;
but in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!

They swarmed about me like bees, they blaze up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!

You [my adversary] thrust sorely at me that I might fall, 
Psalm 118:10-13a AMP

As I read this Psalm this morning I was reminded of a conversation I had with someone yesterday. A conversation about the 'onslaught' of negative circumstances that come and attempt to erode and reduce our faith and hope in God (hence adding the italics to the 'circumstances'). What can we do, but call on the name of the Lord. The name of Jesus. 

The Psalm continues, 

  

but the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my Strength and Song; 
and He has become my Salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents and private dwellings of the [uncompromisingly] righteous:
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly and achieves strength!
The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly and achieves strength!

He has become my Salvation - a reminder that Salvation is not just that time of making a decision to follow Jesus. But it is something we can experience every day, in every thing we face. As it says further on in this Psalm, Jesus is our Salvation and our Deliverer.

I will confess, praise and give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me; and You have become my Salvation and Deliverer. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is from the Lord and is His doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 

Psalm 118:21-23 AMP

In reading this passage from the Psalms, we can see how the focus has gone from expressing the circumstances, to calling on the name of the Lord for deliverance, to complete acknowledgement and declaration of Jesus as the chief cornerstone. 

Next there is decision to be made by all of us, and it can be a hard decision for those of us in the midst of negative circumstances.

This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 AMP

We will rejoice and be glad in it. If you are struggling to rejoice and be glad today, possibly memories of the Sunday school song with the same words may help. Even if starts out as a whisper, keep declaring it and let it minister to your spirit.

Finally, lets go back to verse 17

I shall not die but live, and shall declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.
Psalm 118:17  AMP

In the midst of the negative circumstances, we have an opportunity to see God at work. Let's keep our eyes and hearts open for what He is doing, and get ready to declare and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.

Questions for today, are you able to move from focusing on your circumstances, to calling on the name of the Lord, to declaring Jesus Lordship? If not (no condemnation, I know it is hard some days), ask God to help you move along this path. 

Are you able to rejoice in this day? If not (again I know this is often difficult), ask Him to help you to see at least one thing that you can rejoice about, and then build on that. Maybe have a go at singing the Sunday school song - This is the day - and clap!

Are we looking for an opportunity to declare God's works in our lives today? Lets ask God for that opportunity and the boldness to declare His goodness in our lives.

You are my God, and I will confess, praise, and give thanks to You; You are my God, I will extol You.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

Psalm 118:28-29 AMP