It's funny, the things we remember. I was with my grandmother at the time, but cannot remember the reason nor the season. I do remember waking up to the smell of a fresh cup of coffee brewing in the kitchen and to the bright, golden sun peaking its head over the mountains off in the distance. I was staying with her at the "White House," or what we call the funeral home she lives in for part of the year. It is a beautiful, white home that sits high on a hill overlooking a little town nestled in the valley below.
I can remember, as a child, meandering carelessly through the wildflowers in my sundress along a stone pathway that led me to a playhouse somewhere on her hillside. I would spend long afternoons there, hiding, and having tea with my dolls. The playhouse was torn down years ago.
Back to my kitchen memory...I don't remember what I was fixing for breakfast when I noticed it there, taped on the wall above the sink. But I do remember thinking that if it was something "kitchen-wall worthy" to grandmother, then it was pretty important and therefore special to me, too.
It was words from Psalm 148.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.
I hadn't heard that one before. I read it again, captured by the cadence of the words but more so by David's honest, obedient spirit. I liked it, a lot. I've been carrying that verse close to my heart. It is my prayer when I wake up every morning, my hope for the day that has been given to me and made new by God.
David understood the simple truth that the morning sunrise is God's visible reminder to us of the renewing promise of His Son, the light of the world. It reminds us of His unfailing love, which is constant, boundless, bottomless, and all we need. And just like morning, it is made new everyday. I thank God that I serve a God who does not base my love on how I love Him. I am grateful for a God whose love does not fail even though mine does, time after time.
David's passivity in "letting" the morning bring him word of God's unfailing love is a lesson in itself. "Let" is a gentle command to allow ourselves to be mindful of, welcome and experience what is already around us or what is to come. In this case, it is the morning and its promise. If we "let" ourselves be conscious of the meaning of the morning, then we will find ourselves bearers of His heart. He asks us to not only let ourselves be loved (after all, we are His beloved), but also to trust in His love.
The paralleled syntax of the next sentence conveys a similar message. "Show" implies a blindness we possess as humans and therefore a need for God's direction. If we lift up our soul to Him and hide ourselves in Him, then He becomes our leader and we are guided by His good spirit. Only this way will He rescue us along the journey, order our steps, and do His will for our lives.
It is a beautiful day. Take a moment to notice the Son-shine.
-Rachel
I can remember, as a child, meandering carelessly through the wildflowers in my sundress along a stone pathway that led me to a playhouse somewhere on her hillside. I would spend long afternoons there, hiding, and having tea with my dolls. The playhouse was torn down years ago.
Back to my kitchen memory...I don't remember what I was fixing for breakfast when I noticed it there, taped on the wall above the sink. But I do remember thinking that if it was something "kitchen-wall worthy" to grandmother, then it was pretty important and therefore special to me, too.
It was words from Psalm 148.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.
I hadn't heard that one before. I read it again, captured by the cadence of the words but more so by David's honest, obedient spirit. I liked it, a lot. I've been carrying that verse close to my heart. It is my prayer when I wake up every morning, my hope for the day that has been given to me and made new by God.
David understood the simple truth that the morning sunrise is God's visible reminder to us of the renewing promise of His Son, the light of the world. It reminds us of His unfailing love, which is constant, boundless, bottomless, and all we need. And just like morning, it is made new everyday. I thank God that I serve a God who does not base my love on how I love Him. I am grateful for a God whose love does not fail even though mine does, time after time.
David's passivity in "letting" the morning bring him word of God's unfailing love is a lesson in itself. "Let" is a gentle command to allow ourselves to be mindful of, welcome and experience what is already around us or what is to come. In this case, it is the morning and its promise. If we "let" ourselves be conscious of the meaning of the morning, then we will find ourselves bearers of His heart. He asks us to not only let ourselves be loved (after all, we are His beloved), but also to trust in His love.
The paralleled syntax of the next sentence conveys a similar message. "Show" implies a blindness we possess as humans and therefore a need for God's direction. If we lift up our soul to Him and hide ourselves in Him, then He becomes our leader and we are guided by His good spirit. Only this way will He rescue us along the journey, order our steps, and do His will for our lives.
It is a beautiful day. Take a moment to notice the Son-shine.
-Rachel
That's both a great passage and wonderful insights to the meaning of it, Rachel. When I run in the morning and see the sun coming up, it's 1) a beautiful visual gift He has given to me (I actually tell myself He painted that just for me) and 2) the recognition that He has decided to give us (as in gift) one more day, whether we deserve it or not. Hearing the birds chirping reminds me that they have beaten me in their praise to God. We can learn from them. Just a couple thoughts of mine about how special mornings are.
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