This is DAY 2 of a 5-DAY devotional series on “Experiencing the Gift of Miraculous Clarity.” Subscribers to my blog have Premium Content access to each day of the devotional below.
Just click on the DAY you want to start next:
DAY 1 | What Would It Be Like to Receive the Gift of MIRACULOUS CLARITY?
DAY 3 | Do You Have a COMPELLING VISION for Your Life?
DAY 4 | How Can You RAISE the Quality of the Vision for Your Life?
DAY 5 | How Can We Become More CONFIDENT about Things We Do Not See?
One of my friends on Facebook (you know who you are), will post almost every Sunday morning, “It’s going to be a great day!” It’s a very powerful and hope-filled statement. It puts a smile on my face every time I read it.
A great day is something most people want. But sadly enough, a lot of people don’t even know what a good day LOOKS like, much less how to create one.
What would you say if someone were to ask you, “What does a great day LOOK like to you?” What would your answer be based upon? Would it be based upon how it made you feel? Or something relating to your family? Your health? Your friends? Your work? The tasks you were able to accomplish? Would it be a great day because you experienced success or because it was significant in the life of someone else?
Here’s the thing:
When we can’t define or envision what a great day LOOKS like, we will tend to always take a faulty approach to our day.
And if we take a faulty approach to our day, day after day after day, we will end up with a life filled with more bad days than good days.
The good news is God knows how to turn things around when it feels like our lives have been filled with more bad days than good days. For with God, all things are possible!!
The psalmist must have caught a glimpse of what a great day looks like; something absolutely amazing to him when he said, . . .
† This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalms 118:24 NRSV
When you read this portion of Scripture in its wider context, you’ll see there must have been a twist in the way his story was playing out.
If the psalmist was King David, it wouldn’t be wrong to think that perhaps he was in a dark place, in distress, under attack, surrounded by his enemies and praying for a miracle. He may have had nothing left, no one left to turn to. With his strength, wisdom and resources fully spent, there was probably nothing else he could do to help himself, but needed to be rescued or his life would have been over.
But then something must have happened. A turnaround in his story must have occurred for the psalmist then testifies with great exuberance, . .
† I thank you [LORD] that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalms 118:21-24 NRSV
Now, we don’t know exactly what the circumstances were, but whatever the LORD did that day to answer the psalmist’s prayer and become his salvation, it must have been something only the LORD could have orchestrated for it was MARVELOUS in everyone’s eyes!
There would have been no greater way to describe what this great day looked like than God showing up and doing something marvelous in everyone’s eyes!
So excited about how God answered his prayer and became his salvation, the psalmist then uses the image of a stone builders would have examined to see if it was suitable for the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Many stones would have been quarried to perfection, others cracked or found not to be the right height or width, and thus, rejected.
“The stone the builders rejected becoming the Chief Cornerstone,” is a prophetic statement pointing to the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world who would come some 1,000 years later through the virgin birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Nearing the end of His public ministry, Jesus shared with His disciples He would suffer a very violent and horrific death. To fulfill the Scriptures, He would have to suffer rejection and die as the shepherd of His sheep.
However, his death would also be like a grain of wheat that would bring forth a great harvest, ushering in forgiveness of sin and salvation for all who would put their faith and trust in Him!
Thus, the Scripture is fulfilled:
† The stone the builders rejected has become the Chief Cornerstone.
Psalms 118:22 NRSV
This is that twist in Jesus’ story that gives us hope that God can bring about a turnaround in our lives as well.
God is still in the business of changing the way people’s stories end!
God still wants to impart His vision, even miraculous clarity for specific things, into our lives. But ultimately, it begins with making Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone and foundation of our lives.
What we build our lives on today impacts what we hope to see and embrace tomorrow.
In fact, the connection between what we do today and the possibilities it can create for tomorrow should cause it to pray like the psalmist and the people of God did concerning their future:
† Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Psalms 118:25 NRSV
Let me encourage you today:
The beginning of a great day ALWAYS begins with Jesus!
If you don’t know Him, follow Him today. Make Jesus Christ and His Word, the Cornerstone and foundation of your life.
This daily decision alone is what lays the foundation for God to reveal His vision for your life! It opens the door to hope and a new chapter in your story; something that is of the Lord’s doing and potentially marvelous in the eyes everyone who may be watching!
When we build our lives upon Jesus Christ and His Word for our lives, we have a firm foundation in which we can believe and declare that we will not be shaken. We can trust Him to do and reveal things that will be marvelous in our eyes. We can believe that He will guide us with divine vision that will lead us a little closer towards a life of miraculous clarity.
Let me PRAY for you!
Lord Jesus, I remember the story of a blind man who caught your attention when he began shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” It stopped You in your tracks and you called him to come forward. And You asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man responded, “Lord, I want to see.”
Today Lord I pray, for my family and friends who are seeking Your vision for their lives. Where there is a lack of clarity, I pray for miraculous clarity. What we can’t see with our physical eyes, give us the faith to believe that You will take us by the hand and guide us through any darkness we may be traveling through right now. Do this for Your glory, as we look to You as the Cornerstone and foundation for our lives. In Your name we pray. Amen!
One last thing . . .
Worship is a great way to allow God’s Word to find residence in our hearts. Do you have a favorite worship song? You can check out one of my favorites here!
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[…] This is DAY 1 of a 5-DAY devotional series on “Experiencing the Gift of Miraculous Clarity.” You can READ DAY 2 here. […]