How to Trust God in Seasons of Change: A Psalm 118 Devotional - Amy Lively

I woke up with a song from childhood looping in my mind: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad…”

The irony? I did not feel like rejoicing.

Lately, the building blocks of my life are being moved around as wonderful, exciting, and hard things are happening at the same time. Our daughter is getting married and I love my son-in-law-to-be—and they are moving several states away. My parents are thriving—and they, too, are moving several hours away. Seminary is thrilling—and challenging. Responsibilities are changing at work, there’s a family conflict I can’t fix, and [fill in your own blank here].

So I turned to Psalm 118:24, the source of that catchy tune, to see what God might be telling me. Right before Psalm 118 says to rejoice, it also says, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;  the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22–23, NIV).

To be honest, I reject some of the ways my life is being reshaped. I want to be the “builder” of my life, and I like being in charge of my own plans.