Today - My Favourite

Today, Pooh Bear and the Psalms

This is one of my favourite literary quotes :-

“What’s the day?” asked Pooh

“Its today!” replied Piglet

“My favourite day.” said Pooh

‘Today’ is the day I love to start with this psalm.

Psalm 121 – “I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;

Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Along with Winnie the Pooh, I love every ‘today’. I remember listening to my Nana read this to me as a child, then reading it to both my own children and now their children. Children seem to greet each day with an optimism that we never seem able to reach again. It’s as if our childhood is the only time we really appreciate the reality of ‘today’.

Until, that is, I read psalm 121. What optimism; what hope; what comfort in these words from the psalmist.

1 – Today, He will not let me slip – He is watching over me every moment of my life and He never sleeps.

2 = Today, He is my shade. He will not let the sun by day nor the moon by night bring any harm my way. No plan of the enemy shall prosper while the Lord watches over me.

3 – Today, He will keep me from all harm, even protecting my life

4 – Today, He is on constant watch over me – even for ever. My comings and goings are always known to Him because He has His eyes upon me.

This is an amazing set of promises for each day ahead of us. God is watching out for us. Of course, we have to listen to Him as, by His Spirit, He speaks to us. But, by and large, we can have each day being happy and free from worries and fears, knowing the Lord God Almighty is looking after us.

Oh, we have the choice of doing foolish things and the Word does warn us about testing God. But, what this psalm is saying is that, if we do everything God’s way, then He will look out for us.

I think Winnie the Pooh got it right you know. “Today” should be our favourite day because it’s the only guaranteed day we have in which to praise and worship Him. Nowhere in scripture does the Lord guarantee us any kind of tomorrow. He may return for us, or He may call us home, or He may give us another day in which to sing our praises to Him and to give Him glory.

So you see, today is always a good to be alive day. I’m with Pooh – Today is my favourite day. Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”