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

While I do try to avoid repetition in my quiet time prayers, I do have one thing I tend to say each day: I usually start by thanking the Lord for another day of life. Every day, if you read the news, you’ll see reports of someone’s life being cut short, and you remember that we’re not promised tomorrow. So I try to express gratitude for each day I have.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always prevent me from being happy that some days are over and behind me. Sometimes the busyness or the pressures of the day, or just the way I feel (especially if I’ve had trouble sleeping) lead me to be grateful that some days are in the rearview mirror, looking forward to tomorrow.

But the Psalmist reminds us that every day is a gift from God, and is worthy of our rejoicing and gratitude. That means the ones where everything goes our way, as well as the ones where it seems like the world is conspiring against us.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been planning Christi’s and my 30th anniversary trip we’re looking to take this summer. And the more I immerse myself in those plans (I’m one of those weird people who enjoys the planning as much or more than the trip itself), the easier I find it to wish away the days in between now and then. But God reminds me that every single one of those days is a precious gift, and I need to rejoice in them, and make the most of the precious time God grants me, because that’s 24 hours—1440 minutes that I’ll never get back.

As you pray today, rejoice and be glad for the blessing of another day, and ask the Lord to help you see each day—even the challenging ones—as the gift from Him that it is.