Psalms 118:24 - Be Glad, Don’t Wait
Step 1: Pray. Select.
When I awoke this morning, I reminded myself to immediately thank God for the breath I took that woke me up before I stepped outside my bed.
I would love to say I naturally did this. But, I must give credit to my kind, wise husband who gently leads by example, seamlessly doing this every morning with ease and continues with a raw, unfiltered attitude of gratitude throughout his day until he goes to sleep at night. We spoke about my commitment to keep me away from the coffee maker (if you haven't read yesterday's blog, "Seek Me First Even Before Coffee," you might want to go back), and this was his advice, "Before you do anything, thank God."
It is such a simple gesture, but it is highly effective and intoxicating.
Before I knew it, my head was filled with the words from Psalms 118:24.
I decided to start my practice there today.
Step 2: Write. Read. Circle
Psalms 118:24 - This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it.
After reading the scripture three times, the following words stood out:
This Is The Day
Rejoice
Be Glad
Step 3: Re-Write
Adding my name to the front and with a focus on the words that stood out, here is the sentence I came up with for today:
Jennifer, this is the day, rejoice, be glad.
Step 4: Visualize
As the words infiltrated my mind repeatedly. I plopped down on my favorite chair in my living room, threw a large furry blanket over me, and hunkered down. Sometimes, a simple verse, like a simple new habit of waking with gratitude, is the most powerful change we can make in our lives. This verse was not long and to the point.
As I write, I begin to stare at the palm of my hand. Specifically my thumb and palm. I think about the miraculous way my hand is formed to grip my pen and allow me to transcribe the thoughts in my mind onto the paper at this very moment.
I am still finding my process when blogging, but it appears to be handwriting in my journal and then transferring what I have written into the website. There is something about the art of handwriting, I pray, that will never be lost in the future. There is currently a fight to keep learning to handwrite in schools versus throwing it away and only using a keyboard. So much will be lost cognitively if we do not keep this art of handwriting in our learning process. But that is a subject for another day.
As I found myself grateful for my cognitive ability to write and express my thoughts today on paper, I realized I needed to stop waiting for life to deliver results or outcomes based on my own expectations for the future and notice God is delivering a miracle right now from something I learned as a child - the skill to handwrite which would eventuallly allow me to start this blog. It is important to bring up this point, especially on a day like New Year's Eve.
For this New Year's Eve, I will not think about what tomorrow or what 2025 will bring or even sit too long on what 2024 may or may not have been; instead, let me celebrate the moments of today. If we remain present, put God in His rightful place in front of us, and tell Satan to get behind us as Jesus so eloquently demonstrated during his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, imagine what would be possible. We would live every moment to its fullest the way God intended. And that, friends, is one way to live life and life more abundantly!
Holy Spirit brought to mind the visual of a tightrope. I see myself in the sky, with no reference to how to get to the other side. Jesus is in front of me. I look down at my feet and cannot see the ground, but I know we are very high because all the clouds are below. It is the feeling you get when you ride in a hot air balloon. At some point, you rise above the cloud line, which is exhilarating and magical, knowing you are completely left to the weather to determine how much control you have in this great wide open. You also realize how far it is if you fall.
Since I cannot see the end of the rope or where I will be to get off this thing, I am tempted to look back. However, Satan is behind me, and I look back; that would involve turning, taking my eyes off Jesus, and I would most likely fall. This is how important it is to keep our eyes on Jesus and stay present in every moment. I realize now that gratitude is the key to mastering this skill of focus and concentration on Jesus. When we remain in gratitude, rejoicing in the ability to have another moment, we are not focused on comparison, what will happen next, or long for what was. We are 100% honoring the gift of now!
Another vision the Holy Spirit has intermittently been sprinkling throughout my mind during our prayer time today is the vision of a parade. With the New Year coming and the Rose Parade tomorrow, it seems fitting he is bringing these childhood memories to mind.
However, it is not the parade itself He wants me to focus on. It is the feeling of the parade that He is having me zero in on.
There is a float. However, I cannot clearly see it through a massive amount of rainbow-colored confetti. I see people dancing, and a theme song plays from the Christian pop duo for King & Country "What Are We Waiting For." (If you haven't heard this song, I highly recommend it! We played it at our wedding, which is incredibly sentimental to my husband and me.)
A particular lyric that comes to mind within the song that is playing over and over in my head above anything else is, "What if we could be the light that no one can ignore? What are we waiting for?"
This brought me to the question, why is the world waiting until tonight to celebrate a New Year when I can now celebrate this moment? Sitting here in my living room with the ability to write and live my dream even if no one is watching.
Tomorrow, my family will be in town visiting for the entire week ahead; let me not focus on their arrival, but let me instead celebrate in the moments of preparation for them to come. When I go to the grocery store today, let me rejoice that I have the means to pay for the groceries to make a fantastic dinner tomorrow for my family and put food on my table tonight.
There is truly so much to be grateful for every moment. Let me be so filled with the Holy Spirit going forward that I can be a parade of God's love and joy coming towards everyone I cross paths with so no one can ignore your goodness, God.
Step 5: Ask. Seek
The main question(s) that came to mind were:
How can I keep this attitude of gratitude going forward? Let's keep this joy parade going!
Step 6: Hear. Write. Receive
Holy Spirit, How can I keep this attitude of gratitude going forward?
"My child. You are finding your joy again. It is everywhere. It is all around you. It is abundant and overflowing if you look for it. Keep looking, keep seeking, and this shift in your perspective will turn you so you will be thirsty no more."
Step 7: Pray. Confirm
I closed my journal feeling loved and relieved that even though I don't see the end in sight of so many things in life, my life can be full and complete, living and focusing on the gratitude of the moment.
I will remind my two witnesses to continue to pray over what I have heard and keep me accountable to stay on track with the 30-day challenge from God.
If you used the scripture of the day and need prayer or someone to pray with you, connect Here. Remember, you are not alone!
Step 8: Share. Testify
And so it goes, God is always right on time. Testimony #2 coming your way!
As I closed my journal and was about to get up, get my laptop, and begin transcribing what I had written, a wonderful woman and new friend from my Church Life Group sent a message to our group text.
As I opened it up, I found this!
And just like that! God gave me a little encouragement to stay present with him on this 30-day journey and go forward in confidence that he is delivering on His promises. Coincidence, I think not!
Hmm….what will God bring tomorrow? Whatever happens, I will rejoice and be thankful for the moments along the way.
If you workshopped any of the verses mentioned above using the 8-Step Prayer Practice, we would love to hear from you in the comments below about what the Holy Spirit showed or spoke to you today.
Don't forget to Spread Hope and share HERE if you have a miracle or testimony. We want to see how God is working in your life!
Conclusion:
Day 3 down! Whoot whoot!
Don't forget to stay focused on Jesus when we walk out of life's tightrope.
Let's live every day like a parade of joy is coming towards us.
Imagine how many people will be drawn to what you have, the Holy Spirit active and alive like a best friend hanging out twenty-four-seven! Imagine what a gift you would be given in every moment if you bring the presence of God everywhere you go!
Bring on the celebration not just for a New Year but for a new moment right now!
Don't forget to share where the Holy Spirit took you with this scripture!
Happy New Year, friends!
