Psalm 118:24 invites you to see each day as a gift from God and to respond with gladness rather than dread. The verse is a call to rejoice in the present day because the LORD has arranged it, whatever shape it takes. The words come from the psalmist, a worshiper who wrote this song for the community of Israel to sing together, most likely in a festival setting where the people were gathered at the temple.
This is the day that the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
Psalm 118:24 (WEB)
What Psalm 118:24 Means
The verse begins with “This is the day,” which points to a specific, ordinary day rather than some distant future. The psalmist is not saying that every day will be easy or pleasant. He is saying that this particular day belongs to God and was not an accident. The phrase “that the LORD has made” carries the weight of the verse. The word “made” suggests deliberate work, the way a craftsman shapes a piece of wood or a potter shapes clay. The day is God’s handiwork, and its shape reflects his purposes.
The second half of the verse moves from recognition to response. “We will rejoice and be glad in it” is a choice of attitude, a decision to meet the day with gratitude instead of grumbling. The verse does not promise that joy will arrive automatically or that circumstances will cooperate. It describes what the community commits to do in light of who God is. It also does not say that the psalmist was happy about every event in his life. Elsewhere in Psalms, writers pour out complaint and grief honestly, so this verse is better read as a settled trust that God is present and active, even in hard days.
The Context of Psalm 118:24
Psalm 118 is one of the Hallel psalms, a group of songs sung during major Jewish festivals such as Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. The psalm opens and closes with a call to give thanks to the LORD, and its tone is one of celebration after deliverance. Verse 21 has the singer thanking God for answering him and becoming his salvation, and verse 22 speaks of a rejected stone becoming the cornerstone. Those lines lift the mood of the whole song from personal relief to a larger story of God reversing what looked like failure.
Read in that setting, verse 24 is a shout of gladness in the middle of a procession toward the temple. The verses just before it recount a rescue, and the verses just after ask God to save and prosper his people. The day being celebrated is the day God has acted, and the joy of verse 24 rests on that remembered and anticipated deliverance. This is why the verse feels so full of energy. It is sung by people who have seen God do something and who are still asking him to do more.
Key Phrases in Psalm 118:24
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
(WEB)
These verses speak of God’s mercies being new every morning, which pairs naturally with the idea of a day God has made. Lamentations was written in grief, yet it still points to daily renewal, showing that gladness and sorrow can coexist in the same heart.
Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
(WEB)
This verse asks God to satisfy his people with his steadfast love so they may rejoice and be glad all their days. It echoes the same joy as Psalm 118:24 and reminds the reader that gladness is ultimately rooted in God’s enduring faithfulness rather than in circumstances.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 118:24
Lord, you made this day, and I did not make it or earn it. Help me to receive it as your gift and to look for your goodness in the hours ahead, even in the ordinary and the difficult. Where I feel weary or anxious, remind me that you are present and that you hold every moment in your hands. Teach me to rejoice in you not only when things go well but also as I trust you with what I cannot yet understand. Let my gladness be a quiet witness to your faithfulness. Amen.
