“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 entrust my life.” Psalm 143:8
I wonder how differently our days would be ordered if we began each one with this prayer. It’s the same thought that drives the words of this song, “In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus.” When we pull the covers back, place our feet on the hard, cold ground of life to start a new day, rub our tired eyes until we are alert…in these things, are we already looking for glimpses of His beauty? Are we searching for Jesus when we wake?
Perhaps like you, coffee seems to be the first thing on my mind when I get out of bed. Stumbling down the stairs is always somewhat frightening, never knowing if I’m going to find myself tumbling down them until I’m nothing more than a heap of the floor at the bottom. Those first few sips of caffeine seem to surge through my body, awakening my very soul it seems at times. And I think to the times that I found myself just as desperate to meet with Jesus, just as weary, just as thirsty, just as weak. In my early morning pursuit of Him, trusting that the strength I so desperately sought after would be found in Him, I find myself awakened to new life. That is the thrill of walking hand in hand with Christ Jesus. That is the new life that He gives. What was dead comes to life. What was crumbling and decaying before my very eyes is made new in Him. When the world around me falls, my feet stand firm on the Rock of my salvation.
As I made my way down those treacherous stairs once again this morning, and as I turned the corner that leads me to my beloved coffee pot, my eyes fell on these.
Beauty in the morning. Color. Life. And my heart soared. The God of the Universe who set the planets in motion and gives the sun, moon, and stars their light is the same God who sustains my very life and offers my next breath. And this same God gave life and vibrant color and distinguished beauty to these flowers that now sit displayed on my kitchen table. This is our God. Open up your eyes. Look around you. Open up your heart. As much as there is calamity, disaster, and pain in this world, the light of Christ is more. His beauty radiates within His people and pours out in each gentle smile, through each warm embrace, in each patient and loving exchange. The light of Christ overwhelms the darkness of this lost world every time we, as God’s children, choose to see beauty in the morning and praise Him for it. Praise alters our moments and turns the course of our days. What was once heading down the road of anger, bitterness, and ingratitude, this day can now be spent filled with wonder, awe, and praise for our matchless God.
Where do you see the beauty in the morning? What ray of God’s light and love has shone down on you today? Open up your eyes. He is here. Breathe Him in. And breathe Him out.
hello Cherie…tremendous gift the Lord has given to you…I love the way you express where you are and what you desire in the Lord’s relationship! Every morning..I am that person dragging myself out of bed,,,,but like you have found Jesus early in the morning…seeking Him 1st and in the quietness hearing him speak to us in many ways..it gets me motivated! Him First…then my cup of coffee! Hope to meet you some day…Larry is my cousin and Carol and I grew up together and when she married Larry she became FAMILY!!!! Love All of the Wagners 😀
Beautiful and inspiring…the words and the picture! Full of hope and light, thank you dear Cherie!