"This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." If you're singing the song then you repeat that verse and if you love God then you're singing that verse from your heart. These words however come from scripture Psalm 118:24.
But, what of the rest of the verse. If you read all of Psalm 118, you'll see that the writer started out with praise and thanksgiving to God. During the course of the Psalm, he talks about how his enemies try to attack him. Look at verse 13: "My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me" (NLT). The writer entered into the gates with thanksgiving. He started this Psalm with thanksgiving in his heart and ended the song with thanksgiving in his heart. This thanksgiving was so upon him that it bubbled up into his soul and he didn't give credit to his enemies. I love that! I love that even though he tells you about his trouble he did not focus on his trouble. He does not focus on what's wrong. He doesn't focus on what happened. He doesn't focus on the attack. He acknowledges the attack and he tells you that he was attacked but it does not become his whole testimony. He doesn't wallow in what happened. He doesn't stop and give more credit to the enemy. This writer, this psalmist takes the time to explain that God is good. That God helped him in time of distress. That God saved him.
This is how we give God glory. This is how God gets the glory from our attacks, from our struggles, from our tribulation. Focus on God and His goodness. Focus on the covenant relationship that He has established with us. The psalmist talks about how he cried out and God heard him. Trouble doesn't feel good and no one wants to go through. Although it sounds cliché the truth is that God wouldn't allow you to go through unless He knew you could handle it. Right Jeremiah? (Jer. 1:5) God already knows the plan He has for you because He formed you for a reason and purpose.
I was at church last Sunday, Faith Deliverance Healing Ministries, Inc. Charlotte (NC) and the preacher, Minister Tomika Miller, had a message of Fit for the Battle. She was so right and Psalm 118 shows us how to go through the battle without wallowing, crying and having despair. I've heard it over and over again ---- Praise Him in Advance for what He's going to do. I've even heard a pastor say during the good times praise Him more to store up for the bad times that are coming. He didn't say if the bad times come, he said that the times were coming. We will all go through bad times. We will all go through struggles and tribulation. But aren't you glad that you serve a God that already has the answer to our dilemma? God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Praise Him!