Each day is a gift from God, filled with His presence and purpose. But what happens when the day you’re having doesn’t feel like a gift? What happens when the days aren’t days of plenty filled with excitement and good news, but instead rough and difficult days that seem they will never end? That’s when we get to grow our faith and strengthen our trust in God. We must walk in faith and choose to focus on God’s blessings and promises.

God doesn’t just make the days of plenty, He also makes the days that get filled with tough times, trials, heartache, and tears. During those days, when rejoicing and being glad might seem impossible, we must continue to stand strong. We must praise and worship God through the pain and testify of His goodness through the trials. It’s during those days that we must find the strength to rise up and say, “I can praise and rejoice today. I will give God glory. I will be faithful today. This too is a day the Lord has made, and I WILL rejoice and be glad.” 

When those days of trials have passed, and we look back on them, we will see that it was during those days that we were refined and strengthened. We will see the goodness of God, and all He accomplished during our rough days. As time passes, we will be able to look back on those days and see the beauty in the midst of the mess because we chose to rejoice and be glad in the days God made. We will look back on the journey with gratitude as we realize even the painful parts were necessary to get to our miracle. And on that day, with gratitude in our hearts, it will be one more reason to rejoice and be glad.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You that You are always near, in both the good times and the bad ones. In times past when I have faced trials and hardships, I could still fill Your presence comforting me because of the intimacy I had with You on a daily basis. But I confess there have also been times when I neglected my time with You for a season and when the storms hit I could not readily access Your presence even though I knew You were there. Forgive me for the times I have neglected You. I ask that You help me to keep, and grow in, intimacy with You. I love You Father. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

As with any relationship, in order for it to grow you have to nourish it. If you rarely spend time with your spouse or another loved one, a separation can form between you and them. The same holds true for our relationship with God. He longs for His time with you and is always ready to commune with you. Spend some time with Him now, praying, reading His Word, and listening for His still small voice guiding you.