Early In The Morning My Song Will Rise

Psalm 92:1-2 “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.”

As I write this, I sit five hundred feet below the surface of “The Caprock” in Texas. I am at One Way Elementary Camp in Ceta Canyon, just a few miles from the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It is still dark outside, but in just a few minutes the sun will rise; and when it does the canyon walls will explode with vibrant color. In my heart I join with the psalmist and the hymn writer, “Early in the morning my song shall rise to thee!”

Those that know me well, know that generally I am not a morning person; but this week is different. Every day this week I will be up before daybreak. Every year this week helps me understand why the psalmist and the hymn writer use the morning to praise.

First, God’s hand is evident. There is a magical quality to the morning. The sun peeks over the horizon, the flowers unfold, the creatures awaken, and God’s work is displayed. Psalm 92 goes on in verse 4 to say, “For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.”

Second, early in the morning, the world is quiet; the earth is still. Once the sun rises, things start to move really fast. Every day this week, when the sun rises, so do three hundred and fifty 4th and 5th graders. And there is no quiet time once they wake up. This week is singly the most exhausting and most refreshing week of my year.

This weeks homework, seek the Lord in the stillness of morning. If you are a night owl like me, it may be a little tough to break through the morning grogginess, but it will be worth it to feel the presence of God in the stillness of the morning. If you are a morning person, then look at the morning with new eyes. Let’s watch the sunrise. Let’s see the world awaken. Let’s sing for joy at the works of His hands!

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