Evenings and Mornings

We can be assured that if we commit the day and our way to Him, He will make His plans and paths plain to us

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Recently, along with my daily reading of Gods word, I felt encouraged by the Lord to read a Psalm each day. I find the psalms both encouraging, and challenging. All of life is in the psalms and the psalmist often speaks from real life experiences.  But I noticed in some of the earlier psalms that David refers often to night times and mornings, and the way the Lord watches over him at these times, but also the way David responds to the Lord at these times too. I don’t know about you but I find the hours of the night a time where I often reflect on and sift through the events of the day. These can be good and productive times, but there are often times when the hours of the night bring distorted and worrying thoughts. When everything seems swirl around your head and become confused and sometimes frightening. David is no stranger to the night times and mornings of lives and what a difference knowing and trusting the Lord can bring to them. And what he says about them is both challenging and encouraging.

Night Time

Encouragement

In Psalm 3 we find David surrounded by enemies and on the run from his son Absalom. The words of the Psalm are David's declaration of how he sees the situation. “O Lord I have many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying God will never rescue him!" (v1 NLT). How many times in our life do we feel like the situations (enemies) that surround us seem bigger than we can handle. And those thoughts of how will my situation change, how will I escape these circumstances etc. loom large in our mind. Sometimes even the best shared thoughts and empathy of other people can reinforce the magnitude of the situation, which encourages us to think; there is no way out, nothing can change, it’s a hopeless case. But we can take heart from David’s declaration “But you O Lord are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who hold my head high. I cried out to the Lord and he answered me from his holy mountain" (v3 & 4 NLT). David put the Lord front and centre of the situation. Reinforcing the place of the Lord in his life, that it was the Lord of heaven and earth that was his shield, his glory, and the one that sustains him (holds his head high). David declares that he is not trusting in his own achievements or strengths, but that of the one who is over all and who has never been defeated. And because of that awareness and declaration he is at peace. “I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.” (v5 NLT). In other words I let go of my concerns, I stop carrying my worries, I put down the need to know how things would turn out and how change would be achieved, I stopped trying to look after myself/others. Instead, I slept (rested) and I woke in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. The Lord took care of him while he rested. This was such a good reminder to me to allow myself not to have to carry the concerns or find the solutions. But to rest on the understanding that the Lord has it in hand and will affect all that is needed to keep me and those I love safe. David reiterates further in Psalm 4 just so we get the message “Many people say “who will show us better times? Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O lord, will keep me safe” (v6-8 NLT).  

Challenge

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The word of the Lord is both encouraging, and directive. There are times when we need to do something in answer to the situations that trouble us. This can be challenging. I find one of the most challenging directives for my life is around anger. How quickly it can become inflamed in our lives, and result in words or actions that can hurt others or damage relationships for ever. Anger is a powerful emotion that demands action, either in word or deed against the one that has angered us. And I have always found that nothing done in anger is profitable to me or others. Yet even the knowledge of that does not stop me acting out of anger.  David must have experienced this because he gives one of the best pieces of advice to us, if only we can take it on board. Psalm 4v 4&5 (NLT) “Don’t sin by letting anger control you”. Excellent advice, but my goodness how hard it is to not let anger control you; how do we do that? Paul in his letter to the Ephesians gives direction about anger, he says “Don’t let the sun go down while you are angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4v26 (NLT) which is good advice if you can get on top of your anger and put the situation right before you go to bed. But if that is not possible David gives some wise words in this area.  “Think about it overnight……And remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit and trust the Lord”. There are two keys here. One is; shutting up!! The hardest thing to do. If you’re not in the right place to speak without inflaming the anger more; shut up and sleep on it. But David advises not to leave it at that. He says if we then offer sacrifices to the Lord (pray and seek his face) in the right spirit, we can then trust the Lord to put the situation right, either by equipping us to overcome the anger and speak or act in the right way to heal the situation. Or let it go and trust him to put the situation right. This really can be a challenge but if we only dealt with anger as these great men of God advise, then there would be much let conflict in the world and the Church.

Morning

Challenge

So that covers the night time. What about the morning? David uses the morning to pray. David says “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord” Psalm 5v3 (NLT). If you’re not a morning person praying in the morning can be hard. Hurtling last minute out of bed and rushing off into the day, may work for you. But taking time to prepare yourself for the day by coming before the Lord is so much better. Setting the alarm a few minutes earlier and actually getting out of bed to commit the day to the Lord really does set your life on a better course for the day. But David adds an extra little insight to his prayer life that actually is so important. “Each morning, I bring my requests to you, and wait expectantly” it’s the word expectantly. In our church there is a plaque which says `Expect a Miracle` I find that so challenging.  Do I really expect a miracle, every morning when I pray, do I really wait expectantly for the Lord to take control of the day and answer my prayers how he wills. If I don’t then why am I praying? My prayer is that as I pray the Lord will help me to increase the expectancy in my heart so that I do wait expectantly and expect a miracle every day.

Encouragement 

Psalm 5 v7&8 (NLT) “Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your temple with the deepest awe. Lead me in the right path O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain to me to follow”. The encouragement that David brings is that because of Gods unfailing love we can enter his house. For David his place of worship was epitomised by entering the temple. Jesus says to the woman at the well that the time is coming when it will not matter where you worship the Father but only that you worship in Spirit and Truth.  And we can be can be encouraged that because Gods faithfulness, His unfailing love is renewed every day to us then we can worship with deepest awe because we know we are accepted, by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. And we can be assured that if we commit the day and our way to Him, He will make His plans and paths plain to us. Thank you, Lord, for your unfailing love to us every morning and every night. 

Author: Jan Pearson

May God bless and enrich your life

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