Every Morning
I am definitely a “morning person”. For a long time, I tried to be a “night owl” and a “morning person”, but it just didn’t work. I have learned the value of a set time and routine at the end of the day. I really enjoy the morning time with fresh coffee and watching the morning break from my chair. I started a “gratitude routine” a year or so ago and every morning I’m reminded that I have much to be grateful for.
This morning was a bit special as one of my favorite passages was my reading for today. Jeremiah was known as “the weeping prophet” as his news and messages that he delivered were negative because the Lord was bringing punishment of sin upon Israel and Judah. Then he pens the book of Lamentations which is apparently after the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of his people to Babylon. It was dark days for sure. It is out of this dark place that he pens the words that have given me hope and promise over the years in some of my dark times. Check this out….
20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.(Lamentations 3:20-26 NLT)
I need to hear this hope-filled word from a guy who was in the pit of despair and destruction. My life is easy and smooth compared to Jeremiah’s journey. No matter how difficult my life becomes, I seem to find others who are facing harder situations and circumstances.
Many years ago, I decided that I believed in God. I started talking to Him differently. My child-like faith grew into adult faith. I still have lots of room for growing, but I’ve learned that when I can’t see His Hand, I totally trust His Heart. I’ve learned that He is the very definition of Faithful, even when I’m not faithful. I’ve learned that His Love is relentless for His kids. His promises are true. His Presence is real. His goodness is beyond measuring. His grace is mind-blowing. His mercies are fresh and new each morning.
Every morning as the new day begins, I want to remember this simple promise of His Presence. I want to restate my allegiance to Him. I want to affirm my faith and trust in Him. I want to reaffirm my total dependence upon Him and His Presence in my life. I want to come before Him in the quietness of this morning and every morning trusting in His Love and His Presence in me. I want to live for Him because of His profound love and His Presence in me.
Pressing On!
Dwayne