Celebrate Your Day!
If you have gone to a church that sings old hymns, then many Sundays you have likely sung, “This is the day (that the Lord has made).” While many believe that this song has been around for several generations, the reality is that it first appeared in a collection of Scripture songs put together by Leslie Norman Garrett in 1967. The song was likely much older than this, but this is the first documentation of it.
This is a hymn taken from Psalm 118:24, which declares: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
If one reads the preceding and subsequent verses, it is clear that David is speaking of the coming Messiah – Jesus. Verse 22 talks about the rejection of the “cornerstone” and verse 21 speaks about how God has become his salvation. Of course, the name Yeshua (Jesus) means “Yahweh is salvation.”
Rolling Out of Bed with Rejoicing
For the believer, we are able to celebrate this song every day. David was proclaiming the joy that he had for the day that the Messiah would arrive to “save us” and “give us success.” In verse 27, David declares that God has made His “light to shine upon us.”
We are able to celebrate in the amazing things that God does in our lives. Most importantly, it is celebrating the life, sacrifice, and resurrection that Jesus provided. We get to celebrate and rejoice in the fact that our salvation is secured because of our acceptance of the sacrifice that Jesus made. We know that Jesus went to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-4), and we wait upon His return so that we can live eternally with our amazing God.
It is clear that David was rejoicing in the age that the Messiah would bring. We no longer live in despair or concern for tomorrow, for we know that God is with us and that “His steadfast love endures forever.”
This is something that we can celebrate daily. The truth is that every day we can wake up knowing that the salvation of the Lord is with each one of us. No matter what the day may bring, you can rejoice and be glad in what God has already done for you.
You Don’t Need Coffee
Many of us wake up daily “on the wrong side of the bed.” We wake up with despair, frustration, anxiety, maybe even anger. We hate getting up, knowing that there are troubles and challenges headed our way.
Some will tell you that they are not prepared for their day until they have had their first cup of coffee. Some need a hot shower to wake up so that they feel like themselves again. They wake up focused on the cares and challenges of the day, setting them in a foul mood.
However, we need to wake up each day knowing that this is the day that the Lord has made for each one of us. No matter what may come our way, we have a God who has already prepared an amazing day for us. A day where we are secured in His salvation. A day where we can know that God is our “strength and our song (verse 14).” We can truly celebrate each and every day because our God exalts, strengthens, and secures us with Him each and every day.
So, when you wake up and the cares and concerns of the world are swirling in your brain, remember that God already made this day for you. He said this day in motion for you to overcome those challenges and anxieties, knowing that He is there to help and guide you. He has already secured your place in heaven, and you can be sure that he has set forth an amazing day of celebration and rejoicing.
Our Volunteers Make Us Rejoice
At Hope CDA, we rejoice every day as well. Not just in the amazing sacrifice that our Savior made for each one of us, but also in the incredible work that our volunteers do for our men. It is those who serve as coaches, meal and snack providers, mentors, office workers, cleaners, counselors, class facilitators, drivers, and in other ways that help our men to get to an incredible place in life.
We rejoice in the amazing work that each one of these men and women are doing, and so ask that each volunteer come and join us at Good News Baptist Church on Saturday, July 26, 2025 to celebrate your impact on the men in our program. We will have lunch and time of celebration that begins at 12 and ends at 1:30 p.m. Whether you are a volunteer or wanting to become one, please come and celebrate with us.
Location: Good News Baptist Church: 1203 3rd Avenue, SW, Cedar Rapids, 52404)
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch will be provided.
Hope Good News
Timothy Ehlers joined our program on Wednesday and we can already see God doing amazing things with Timothy… Josh Haberling has been approved by the court to come and join our program. He will do so on Monday afternoon… Also, hopefully, joining the program this week will be Evan Dearborn. We pray that the Scott County Court will send Evan to our program this week… Troy Lloyd heads for Guatemala on Saturday where he will begin a seven-day mission trip.
Volunteer Opportunity
On August 8, the work will resume on 1700 4th Ave. in preparation for it to become a new stability house. We still need lots of volunteers to help with the remaining demolition and renovation. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Pannier.
Prayers for the Week
We ask you to join in prayer for these things:
- We pray for Josh and Evan as they begin their life transformation journey at Hope CDA.
- We pray for the upcoming gala event. May it be an incredible blessing to our community and attract those who will help to impact the lives of our men and the program as a whole.
- We pray for the continued success of our concrete and car detailing businesses.
- We pray for Nick Schiefer as he heads to court on Tuesday for a custody situation May the judge rule with wisdom.
Tuesday Night Encouragement at Hope CDA
The coming Tuesday, July 29, Roger Grandia from Westminster Presbyterian Church will deliver the message. We always love when Roger comes to speak and know that he will deliver an amazing message.
On Tuesday, August 5, Pastor Harris Holsapple V from First Open Bible Church here in Cedar Rapids will be our speaker. It will be the first time that Pastor Harris has come to speak at Hope CDA, and we know that he will have an amazing message of encouragement.
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