Before the Day Begins

Before the Day Begins

“Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.” - Scripture — Psalm 143:8 (NIV)

Let God Have the First Word

One of the things I have learned over the years is that how we start our mornings often determines how we approach the rest of the day.

Some mornings, before our feet ever touch the floor, our minds are already running. We think about what needs to be done, the people who are depending on us, the problems waiting to be addressed, and the things that kept us awake the night before.

And if we're not careful, we can carry the weight of an entire day before we've even asked the Lord to help us through it.

David understood something about that.

In Psalm 143, David wasn't writing from a place of comfort. He was surrounded by trouble, weary in spirit, and crying out to God for help. Yet in the middle of his distress, he prayed, “Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love.”

Notice what David didn't ask for first.

He didn't ask God to remove every problem, silence every enemy, or explain everything that was happening around him.

He asked to be reminded of God's unfailing love.

I think there's a lesson there for all of us.

We don't always know what a new day will bring. There may be good news waiting for us, or there may be another burden to carry. There may be an answered prayer, or we may still be waiting on the Lord.

But whatever this day holds, one thing remains unchanged: God's love is not determined by our circumstances.

His faithfulness doesn't depend on how strong we feel this morning. His promises don't expire because yesterday was difficult. And His presence doesn't disappear simply because we cannot see what lies ahead.

But there's something else in David's prayer that I don't want us to overlook.

“Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.”

David wasn't simply asking God to make him feel better. He was asking God to lead him.

There's a difference.

Sometimes we come before the Lord with our plans already made, asking Him to bless the direction we've chosen. But David was willing to place the direction of his life in God's hands.

That's where trust becomes more than something we talk about. It becomes something we live.

I've spent enough years walking with people through hospital rooms, difficult decisions, personal struggles, and seasons of grief to know that we don't always get the answers we're looking for.

But I've also learned that we don't have to know what tomorrow holds to trust the One who holds tomorrow.

And that brings me back to something I try to practice in my own prayer life.

Pray. Believe. Release.

Pray about what is on your heart. Believe that God hears you. Then release the burden into His hands.

That doesn't mean we stop caring or neglect our responsibilities. It means we stop trying to carry what belongs in God's hands.

So, before you begin this day, before the demands of life start pulling you in every direction, spend a few quiet moments with the Lord.

Open His Word. Remember His faithfulness. Ask Him to direct your steps.

You may not know everything this day will bring, but you can begin it knowing that you are loved by a faithful God who has not abandoned you.

In His love

ray