psalm · 118
This Is the Day the Lord Has Made
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summary
The day the Lord has made is the day on the other side of the rescue.
lyrics
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His mercy endures forever. Let Israel now say That His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron now say That His mercy endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord now say That His mercy endures forever. I called upon the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me; But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. They surrounded me like bees; They are quenched like a fire of thorns; In the name of the Lord I will destroy them. You pushed me violently that I might fall, But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, And has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous shall enter through it. I will praise You, For You have heard me, And have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His mercy endures forever.
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Psalm 118: This Is the Day the Lord Has Made
When you need to remember — that You're still my Shepherd.
What's Going On…
You can hear "this is the day the Lord has made" so many times that it goes thin — turned into a slogan, a coffee mug, a pastel poster. But the line is doing real work in its actual context: it shows up after a desperate cry, after surrounding enemies, after being rejected like a stone the builders threw away.
You do not need a bumper sticker. You need to remember that the day the Lord has made is the day after the rescue — the day on the other side of being surrounded.
What It Means
This long prayer opens with the recurring refrain: "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever." Repeated four times in the opening as a corporate confession. Then the personal cry inside the corporate praise: "I called upon the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place." That is rescue from a tight room. The middle escalates: "All nations surrounded me... they surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me... they surrounded me like bees." Three repetitions of being surrounded — same word, same situation, more intense each time. Then: "But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them."
Then the line that should reset how you read the more famous verse later: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death." He is fresh out of something that almost ended him. Then comes the cornerstone declaration: "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord... The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes."
And then, only after all of that, the famous line: "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." This is the day after rescue. After the surrounding bees. After the rejected stone became cornerstone. The rejoicing is hard-won — and it is real.
Right Here, Right Now
• Right now, say the whole sentence in context: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord — this is the day the Lord has made."
• Write this down: "What rescue is this day built on top of, that I have been forgetting?"
• Repeat this line when the day feels small: "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
Selah
Stop. Breathe. Let the famous line sit in its full context — after distress, after surrounding, after rejection. Then tell Him exactly what He rescued you from to get to this day — out loud if you can.
Prayer
God, You are on my side; I will not fear what man can do to me.
You answered me when I called upon You in distress and set me in a broad place after the surrounding closed in.
The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone — and that is still Your doing.
This is the day You have made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it — not because the day is light, but because You rescued me into it.
Open to me the gates of righteousness, and I will go through them, and I will praise You.
You're still my Shepherd.
Stay Strong
The day the Lord has made is the day on the other side of the rescue.
comments · 1
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Edwina Lespierre5/27/2026
The Holy Spirit spoke within my heart last night. As I watched a woman give her testimony I felt conviction on some things and I got on my knees and repented and rededicated my life to my Lord and savior. I realized that there were some things that I hadn't confessed and asked forgiveness for, unbeknownst to me until the Holy Spirit brought it to me. I could have left this world thinking that I was good with the Lord, but due to His love, mercy and grace He allowed me a chance to repent. I give Him the glory and the praise. That was yesterday and today is the day the Lord has made and I rejoice in it. 🙏🏾 Amen