Who Made Your Day?
"Go ahead, make my day!" Dirty Harry loved to say this and in his case, his day was made by punks who felt lucky and ended up dead by the world’s most powerful handgun. We have appropriated the phrase and use it for different things. Let someone bring more stuff to dump in our already full IN basket and we say, " That made my day!!!" We may say the same thing to someone that brings us good news, compliments us or does something nice for us. The words are the same, but the attitude and delivery are different.
I want to speak about who really makes our day. We often use Psalm 118:24 as an exhortation to people that are having a rough day. Often it is the spiritual way of saying, "Have a nice day!" or "Hang in there!" I share it with you in context before we make an application of the verse.
Ps 118:22-25
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. (KJV)
The day, which the Lord hath made, is tied to verse 22. The marvel of it is expressed in verse 23. Then we rejoice in 24 followed by the supplication in 25. So, how is this interpreted? Let’s go to the New Testament for that.
Matt 21:42-43
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (KJV) (Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:7)
Jesus is the stone the builders/Israel refused/rejected in scorn. He is the cornerstone of the Church as well as its foundation. This transformation from rejection to exaltation is the Lord’s doing and it is indeed marvelous in the eyes of the Church. This day of exaltation made by the Lord is what we rejoice in i.e. spin around in joy and are glad in because we have been grafted into Vine. Because of that day we can now offer up our supplication for salvation and prosperity in His Name and receive the answer to that prayer!! He will make us free. The word save in this verse means that He will succor or help us in the time of need. When was that day? The day He arose from the tomb! The day that revealed that the sacrifice for our sins was accepted so that He could lead captivity captive and give gifts unto men! Most of our prosperity is in the spiritual realm though He does give us material prosperity in proportion with our ability to handle it.
That is the interpretation of the passage. While a passage only has one interpretation, it can have many applications. Let us look at a few for verse 24. Job cursed the day that he was born, but the Lord knew Job, like Jeremiah, before Job was born and that day of birth was made for him. God made Job’s day of prosperity and as we know God by allowing satan to tempt him made Job’s day of trial. In the end, the Lord also made Job’s day of blessing and release from that trial. God made Job’s day every day of his life.
The Lord made David’s day was made when he was anointed to be king. His day was made when he killed the lion and the bear and the day he slew Goliath. His day was made when he was crowned king. The Lord made all those days for David. His day was made when Nathan the prophet was used to convict him of murder and adultery. That was a day of forgiveness made by the Lord. It was also the making of all the rest of his days. He knew that he should have died for his sin and that each day thereafter was a gift of mercy and grace.
Yes, the Lord makes all of our days in that He gives us life. He also gives us strength and wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit to make each day one of joy and fruitful service. However, we sometimes throw away the day He made. We allow ourselves or someone else to make our day.
Adam made his day of removal from the garden and ultimately the day of death for all of mankind by his lack of faith in the Lord. The Lord had made eternal days for him. He threw them all away. Abraham made a day when he went into Hagar that caused strife not only within his family but also between the offspring of Isaac and Ishmael until this day. That was not the day that the Lord had made for him. Moses made the day of his death to be before Israel entered into the Promised Land by his disobedience. That was not the day that the Lord had made for him. The Lord meant for him to lead the people into the land. David made his days of adultery, murder and cover up. These were not days that the Lord had made for him. Peter made his day of denial through his pride. That was not the day the Lord had made for him because Christ clearly warned him. We could list many, many more days that our biblical examples made that over rode the days the Lord had made for them.
What about us, what days do we make for ourselves? Do we let pride make a day of falling? Do we let bitterness make days of sorrow and pain? Do we let rebellion make a day of destruction? Do we let lust of the flesh make a day of loss of love and relationships? Do we let lust of the eyes make a day of poverty from excessive debt for the things, which we cannot keep? Do we let unbelief make days of doubt and despair? Do we let satan make our day by listening to his lies? Brethren, these are not days that the Lord has made for us. There is no rejoicing or gladness in them.
If you are a child of God, you can fall on your knees and beg God to restore the days, yea years that were lost to the cankerworms bred by the days you made for yourself. You can choose to live in the days that the Lord has made for you. Remember each day is a one of grace and mercy that the Lord has given you. Yes, the day may have trouble and sorrow, but rejoice that you are here to experience it as well as the day of joy and peace. There is no guarantee that you will have tomorrow so look to the Maker of the day for joy, not to those people or things that share the day with you!
Unbelieving friend, satan may have made your day for eternity if you die without the Giver of days. The devil can only take days away from you that the Lord wanted you to have. He cannot give you anything but death and darkness. Don’t allow him, sin, or pride to steal any more days from you. Today is the day of salvation that the Lord made for you. He wants to give you this day to rejoice in the forgiveness of sin. It can be the first day of the rest of your eternal life with Him!! Will you allow Him to make your day by receiving His gift of eternal life by faith in His Son, Jesus?? Oh, why not today?
Brethren and unbeliever, who made you day today? Who will make it tomorrow? May it be the Lord that you may rejoice and be glad in it!!!! Maranatha!!!!
