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.