Our God is the giver of all good gifts. One of His great gifts to us is often overlooked. It is the gift of a day.

One of the first things God created was the day. “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Genesis 3-5

The 24-hour period called a day is one of God’s wonderful provisions for us. It gives us the perfect rhythm for living. In the light of day there is plenty of time for work and for play. We have enough time to spend with God, with family, and with friends.

We have time to earn a living and time to serve our Lord and others. We have time to enjoy the simple pleasures and blessings that God provides each day. We also have time to relax and unwind. And we have time to sleep. Those hours of rest and renewal spent in sleep provide the strength and the energy we need to begin another day. And the rhythm of life
goes on.

The gift of a day is God’s way of helping us to cope with the demands and pressures of life. We all face an uncertain and potentially dangerous future. We all deal with problems of the past that intrude on the present. But God promises grace for each day.

Each day—one day at a time—God promises His help and provision. We get in trouble when we stop trusting in God’s daily blessings. It is so easy to hold on to the pain of our past and to let it destroy the joy of the present. And it’s so easy to worry about the future. But God wants us just to focus on the day we are living now. God’s grace comes to us one day at a time. In the wilderness the Israelites could only collect one day’s worth of manna. If they collected more it would quickly decay. God was trying to teach them to trust Him to supply each day’s need and not to worry about tomorrow. Jesus taught the same truth. He asked us to pray to our Heavenly Father for daily bread (not enough for the week, or month, or year).

He commands us not to worry about tomorrow for each day has enough troubles of its own. What a great blessing we would receive if we could just trust that God will take care of us each and every day and give us what we need when we need it.

In the Swedish heritage of the Covenant, there is a wonderful hymn, written by Lina Sandell. It’s called “Day by Day.” Please listen well to these words and take them to heart:

Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

One day at a time. We can handle any trial or trouble for one day. We can cope with a world of stress for one day. And we can pack an amazing amount of joy and fulfillment into one day. Leaving the past behind us, not worrying about the future,
and trusting in God’s provision, we can live each day to its fullest. If we do the best we can and then leave it in God’s hands, we will be able to enjoy sweet slumber and then start all over again.

Thank God for His gift of days and the grace He promises for each one. Let’s live each day to God’s glory, and all those days added up will equal a life well lived.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Tom