One Of "Those" Days

Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Have you ever had one of "those" days?

Today could be summed up with the phrase "one of those days" in my book. Here's a little insight on what happened today: Work.

The computers crashed at work, so we needed to run manual transactions until the problem could be fixed. We seldom ever have to do manual transactions, so it was a mess. We couldn't find the supplies that we needed to help with this process, and there were customers lining up whose countenance said anything but happy. I forgot to write something down for a credit card transaction, so now we will lose a fifty-some dollar sale. I was supposed to be going on my lunch break before the 5 hour limit was up, but the computers crashed before that took place, so I ended up with a meal premium that my job won't be happy about. Yup. That was just a glimpse into my day.

Pity party in a paragraph.

As I thought back over my day, I thought, "Surely, this is one of "those" days. You know... the days you wish never happened. You don't really want to start this day over because it was so hectic you don't want to relive it. You simply want to erase it from the books and pretend it never happened.

However, when I thought about what Bible verse to put with this devotional, Psalm 118:24 came to mind:

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

I thought, "THIS day?!?"

This "anything but peaceful" day? This "long, trying, and tiring" day? God, You're telling me that you made THIS day? Better yet, You want me to rejoice and be glad in THIS day?

I wondered what verses led up to Psalm 118:24, so I read through the chapter. What stood out to me was that this chapter focused on who God is. Verses 10-11 say, "Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with  the authority of the Lord. Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord."

This chapter recognized that there were difficulties, but the focus of this chapter wasn't on the difficulties. It was focused on God and who God was regardless of the circumstances that surrounded them.

How could I apply this principle in my own life with what took place today?

I can either focus on the difficulty or focus on the One who is bigger than my difficulty.

No matter how bad my day may have been, God is still on the throne. He is still God. He worked everything out at my job and showed me favor. In the midst of the mess, my drawer still balanced... Can anyone say, "God took care of you!"?

So, yes, today wasn't perfect. But maybe just maybe my "one of those days" wasn't really all that bad. It's not that my circumstances were perfect, but God never left my side.

If this is one of "those" days for you, be encouraged. Rejoice!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the circumstances of a day that I forget how good You really are. I forget how much You've blessed me and how much I have to be thankful for. Please help me focus on You even when I'm having one of "those" days so I can keep the right perspective on my circumstances. They really dim in comparison to You. I pray this in Jesus' Name.

Amen.