As a college freshman, I had an early religion class where we started each day reciting Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I remember the zeal with which our class would say this passage!

As elderly people, our bodies can be filled with aches and pains. We or a friend find out about an unexpected illness, or we receive a call that someone we know has died. On any of these days, we may find it hard to rejoice and to be glad — to have zeal.

At these times, we only need to remember God’s promise in Isaiah 40:31, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”