"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night." Psalm 92:1-2
How do you start your day? Many, upon hearing the alarm sound, stumble with eyes closed to begin their day. Grumbling about how little they slept, complaining about all that has to be done in the day ahead, and frustrated by headaches that await them, most mornings begin with less than stellar starts. Our first thoughts of the day are many times complaints and dreads.
Fast forward to the end of the day. We are often exhausted by the demands of the day. Impossible bosses. Demanding coaches. Unflinching deadlines. Disappointing conversations. Unfolded mounds of laundry. Bills stacked high. We fall into bed and think about the reality of doing it all again tomorrow. Sometimes our final thoughts of the day can be even more discouraging than our first.
Does any of that sound familiar? Maybe not every single day is exactly that way, but it sounds a bit close to home, doesn't it?
Maybe the psalmist is on to something, though. After speaking of how good it is to give thanks to the Lord, he specifically mentions that it is good to think about the love of God first thing in the morning. What if our first thought of each day was not about our aches and pains, nor our fears and sorrows. Instead, what if we made it a practice to begin each day by declaring the love of God evident in our lives?
David wrote in Psalm 3:5, "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me." We would do well to remind ourselves of this gift we have been given every single morning. Each day you wake up is a day given to you by the Lord as He has sustained you through another night. I don't know about you, but I am certain my days would have more focus and my heart would have more joy if I received each day as a gift from the Lord. After all, you do not simply wake up "just because." You wake up, according to Scripture, because the Lord sustained you.
The psalmist then says it is good to speak of God's faithfulness by night. After welcoming the sunrise with thoughts of the generous love of God, he greets the sunset with meditations on the faithfulness of God.
There is certainly no guarantee that everything in between the morning and evening is going to go well, but what a way to bookend the day. You wake up...you praise the Lord for sustaining you through the night and you think of His love. You go to bed for the night...you recount the ways God has been faithful to you. No wonder the psalmist can give thanks to the Lord. He has trained his heart and mind to continually acknowledge the many evidences of grace given to him by the goodness of God.
Maybe your week isn't off to such a great start. If the Lord grants you another day tomorrow, you have something for which to give thanks. Throughout the day to come, you will be surrounded by the mercies and faithfulness of God if you will have eyes to see it. How different our lives would be if we simply would sing the song of Psalm 92.
Apply Psalm 92:1-2 in your life starting today. Make it a discipline to begin and end each day with a grateful heart as you set your mind on the Lord. You may just find a greater joy staying with you in all the hours in between.
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