I love mornings. I am an early riser, usually between 4:30 and 6:00 AM. I wake up, grab a cup of coffee and head to my bonus room in the quiet. I watch as the world gets lighter around me, darkness flees with each passing minute.
In those early morning hours, I write, I pray, I study, I converse with my LORD and Savior. Those hours are the most precious to me – I hate anything that interrupts them.
I think David must have been an early riser. Maybe all shepherds have to be so. Many of his songs speak of mornings and his attention to the LORD upon rising.
“But I will sing of Your strength and will joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning. For You have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble.” [Psalm 59:16 HCSB]
God is a stronghold and refuge in the day of trouble. I think the last few years could be described so far as “years of trouble” not just days. They certainly have abounded with fear, misinformation, loss, hopelessness, and opposition. The horizon of change still seems to be far off. So much talk of things not getting back to normal until we end the pandemic … until inflation reverses … until mass shootings are stopped … until ….
There seems to be no set plan or date for returning to normal, and I wonder if the old normal will ever return.
Amid all this the church is being called upon to repent and turn back to God. So many heavy-duty issues to deal with daily. Still God continues to remind us that He alone is our stronghold, He alone is our refuge. It is His strength and His faithful love that comes to us every morning.
Thank you, LORD, for being there each day, providing a stronghold and refuge for your people. Amen.
