This is the day the Lord has made

I woke this morning with Scripture running through my head.

This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it. 
Psalm 118:24 esv

Why my thoughts were turned to that verse before my mind was even fully awake, I do not know, but for some reason the Lord placed that verse on my heart and mind. As I lay there, thinking on that verse and slowly waking, I could just make out the tree tops and sky through my bedroom window. That glimpse of the Lord's creation with such a heart lifting verse on my mind brought a deep peace and joy as I was reminded in such a vivid way of all the miracles the Lord has surrounded us with. Many of which we experience without thought more often than not. What great miracles are air, wind, rain, trees, flowers, even bees and snakes. All of creation points to its maker but all too often we see creation without thought of our creator. 

I often marvel at trees. I think I could stand beneath one, looking up in amazement for hours. What a great and mighty work a tree is and how small and insignificant I am in comparrison and yet Scripture tells us that we are of a much greater importance than the majestic trees are.

As I lay in bed thinking of all this I also thought of the verses:
Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thankfulness. Gratitude. Prayer without ceasing. One could almost base their entire life off those three little verses and what a life it would be. 

What a beautiful beginning I had to my day, thinking, pondering, praying over verses the Lord laid on my heart before I even awoke. My first awareness of this day was 'this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it'. And rejoice and be glad I did. I awoke to a glad heart and a rejoicing soul. 

How great it is to face each day with thanksgiving.

Life is so very fleeting. Scripture says it is but a vapor. I envision a vapor as a wispy strand of smoke or steam. There one second, vanished the next. It simply appears and then fades away with no lingering trace that it ever existed. 

A vapor.

Here and gone. 

And Scripture says that's what life is. A vapor. Here today. Gone tomorrow. We never know when our last breath will come. 

We recently had some bad storms in our area. They brought high winds and tornadoes. A child was killed by a falling tree. There was no warning that the child's life would soon be over. It just happened suddenly. There one moment, gone the next. Just like that. A young life was ended in what must have seemed like the blink of an eye. With no warning. 

Oh, to live every moment in total thankfulness. Embracing joyfully every moment the Lord grants us in His creation.