20

Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa.... (2 Chronicles 20:20 NLT)

This verse is found in the midst of what is probably my favorite story of the Old Testament.

When Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, he set his heart to follow God.

As often happens, the enemies of Judah banded together in an effort to defeat him.

Jehoshaphat was terrified of the vast army and begged the Lord for guidance.
God simply told him to march out against them. 

And Jehoshaphat did.

Instead of putting his best warriors on the front lines, however, he appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. 

When the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa early the next morning, they went out singing.

Give thanks to the Lord; His faithful love endures forever!

At that very moment scripture says the Lord caused the armies that were gathered against Judah to start fighting among themselves.

When the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all their enemies had been defeated.

Not a single one escaped. 

They gathered the plunder and called the field where their enemies lay, the Valley of Blessing.

Even though the obstacles before us today may seem overwhelming and insurmountable, if we will march forward....and start singing.

There's no telling what God might do.

May we all find ourselves in a Valley of Blessing today.

19

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. (Psalm 143:8-10 NLT) 

When we try to walk on the path our Heavenly Father shows us, it's easy for us mere humans to lose our footing.

His guidance often leads us against our natural tendencies.

He shows us to an uphill road that we would never have chosen on our own.

When the journey forward doesn't go exactly the way we thought it would, it's natural for us to wonder if we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way.

If we're not careful, we allow our doubt to lead us in circles.

We buy into the lie that God grows weary of giving us the same instruction over and over.

But He doesn't.

Our Heavenly Father never tires of our need for assurance, or our pleas for guidance.

He wants us to come to Him each morning and ask for His help like the Psalmist did.

He will show us where to walk as often as we need Him to, so that we can move forward on a firm footing instead of backwards in doubt. 

Our Father never promised us an easy journey, He simply promised that it would be worth the struggle.

Our path may be tough today, but if we keep moving forward, we will eventually see the mountaintop view.

May we all move forward today.

18

If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night – but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. (Psalm 139:7-12 NLT)

Though I became a Christian early in my life there have been many times since then when I have wrapped myself up so tightly in the darkness around me that I wanted nothing more than to hide in the depths of it.

For years, I ran as far as I could from the outstretched hand of my Heavenly Father that beckoned me home.

But even in the very darkest seasons of my life His hand was always there guiding me.

His strength was always there supporting me.

A few years ago, I was asked to give the testimony of my life to a group of ladies.

I wanted to tell them about all the wonderful things God has done in my life since I quit running quite so much and began following after Him at least a little more often.

But He kept calling me back to those dark places.

It was only then that I realized I could see His hand just as clearly in the seasons of darkness as I could in the seasons of light.

I could see His strength supporting me even when I deserved it the least.

That is the beauty of grace.

And the power of mercy.

May we always remember that sometimes it takes darkness to see the light. 

17

I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn. O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. (Psalm 130:6-7 NLT)

If you've ever worked through the night you're familiar with the desperate longing the Psalmist wrote about.

In the wee hours of the morning when exhaustion sets in, we begin to ache for the dawn, because we know deep in our souls that the light of the new day will bring a renewed strength.

In the darkest hours of the night we know that our hope lies in the dawn and we long for it.

In our journey through this life, when darkness settles in around us and we become exhausted, we long for many different things.

Riches.

Relationships.

Rest.

We tend to forget that our true hope lies in the Lord.

We forget that the ache that grows deep in our souls as darkness seems to swallow us whole can only be quenched at Calvary where the Son rose and redemption overflows.

The darkness can only be overcome by the light of God's unfailing love.

All our longing can only be truly fulfilled by Christ.

May we always remember to long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn. 

16

I arise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words. I stay awake through the night, thinking about your promise. (Psalm 119:147-148 NLT) 

The only way some of us ever arise early enough to see the sunrise is when we've endured a difficult day that has stretched through the wee hours of the morning and cast a dark shadow on the clean slate of the next.

Instead of basking in the bright light of a new day, we desperately cry out for help in the predawn hours.

We begin today drowning in yesterday's flood of tears.

The Psalmist gives us hope for these kind of mornings.

He said that even as he cried out for help he put his hope in the words of God.

No matter what difficulties we face on this Earth we can find hope in the words of God.
If we listen, we'll hear Him whisper them to us in the morning breeze.

I love you.

I have a plan for you.

I will never leave you to face this world alone.

As long as we walk this Earth, there will be dark days that keep us awake through the night.

But when we think about the promises of scripture, instead of worrying about the things that are beyond our control, the new day dawns brighter than the one before it.

May we put our hope in His words today.

15

...You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew. (Psalm 110:3 NLT)

The Old Testament's King David spoke the words above in prophecy about Jesus.

Later, Jesus became the perfect example of a life lived through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Though He took on the form of a servant, He displayed unparalleled strength in the face of every temptation and trial He overcame in His 33 years on Earth including the cross.

Even though Jesus was God robed in human flesh, He spent countless hours in prayer and meditation.

He became the ultimate example of strength because He was renewed each day like the morning dew in the presence of the Father.

As followers of Christ our ultimate purpose on this Earth is to follow His example.

To be arrayed in the light of God's love, peace, and hope and shine into the darkness around us.

To become living examples of God's strength in this broken world.

To do these things, we must be renewed each day like the morning dew in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

We must spend time with Him in prayer and meditation.

If we ever hope to impact the lives of others, we must allow God to impact our lives.

May our strength be renewed today and everyday.

14

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre. (Psalm 92:1-3 NLT)


We all go through seasons in our lives when difficulties cause us to question the foundations of our faith.

We wonder if God really is as good as He claims to be.

Whether He really has a plan that we just can't seem to see or understand.

And why He allows terrible things to happen to those who clearly love Him.

In these difficult seasons of life, it's easy for us to lose our passion.

To allow our time spent at church or in prayer to become so routine that the fire of the Holy Spirit becomes a flickering candle in our hearts instead of the all consuming fire it is meant to be in our lives.

But no matter how passionless our praise may seem it is good for us to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to the Most High. 

Even when we don't feel like it.

Perhaps even, especially when we don't feel like it.

Because praise feeds the fire within us and inspires passion.

When we proclaim our Heavenly Father's unfailing love in the morning and His faithfulness in the evening, we fan the flames of the Holy Spirit within us.

And it is the Spirit of God within us that will provide the answers we seek in time.

May we remember to praise God through the storms of life.