In her book, Liturgy of the Ordinary, Tish Harrison Warren writes:
The psalmist declares, “is is the day that the Lord has made.” is one. We wake not to a vague or general mercy from a far-off God. God, in delight and wisdom, has made, named, and blessed this average day. What I in my weakness see as another monotonous day in a string of days, God has given as a singular gift.
When Jesus died for his people, he knew me by name in the particularity of this day. Christ didn’t redeem my life theoretically or abstractly—the life I dreamed of living or the life I think I ideally should be living. He knew I’d be in today as it is, in my home where it stands, in my relationships with their specific beauty and brokenness, in my particular sins and struggles.
Every day is a precious gift from God. Give thanks, because you are known and deeply loved!
Jesus reminds us in Luke 12:7, “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
The thought of our hairs being numbered would be frightening if God were far off and pacing around heaven just waiting to rain down fire upon us. But the picture we get of God the Father through Jesus is very different from that scary idea.
God, in his might and power, is of course very frightening because he is holy and we are not. But in Jesus, we are known and truly loved by a God who stands not far off as our Judge but close to us as our loving Father.
He’s the Father who embraces prodigal sons who squandered dad’s wealth and wished he were dead. He’s the Father who loves us even while we are still sinners. He’s the Father who sent us Jesus Christ to hang on a cross.
In Christ, we have a loving Father who knows us by name and who gives us another day to live and move, to be loved and to love. Praise him. Thank him. You are loved by him.
