In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. – Psalm 5:3
Christmas morning is such a special time. As a parent, it’s the one day of the year that I actually celebrate getting up extra early because of the joy and excitement of watching our children celebrate the birth of Jesus through the reading of the Bible story, along with the experience of opening presents, and then eating warm cinnamon rolls together.
Through the years I’ve discovered that mornings (the rest of the year) can often be times of anxiety, stress, and busyness. Getting the day started with showers and breakfast and last-minute homework before racing off to school or work can leave us all a bit frazzled.
However, the morning can also be such a meaningful time of anticipation as we look forward to exciting events of the day and celebrate new opportunities, new challenges, and new starts. Each day begins with the chance to experience the joy of growing in our relationship with God, with our family, and with friends.
I love the Scripture from Psalm 5:3 in which the writer shared his experience of morning prayer and meditation. In the morning, he talked with God and trusted God to be speaking and listening throughout the day. In the morning, he offered to God his concerns and waited for God’s response with a spirit of hopefulness.
I hope that your daily devotional life will extend through the coming year in the same spirit as the Psalmist (it’s totally okay if you choose another time than mornings!). When you make your prayer and devotional life with God a priority, you will experience a deep and maturing relationship with God that will propel you through the day and allow you to be aware of God’s presence. It is the same presence that we experience on Christmas morning when we know that the Savior has come!
Prayer: God, open my heart each morning to Your Spirit. Speak to me and enable me to trust You more today and every day. Amen.
Rev. Phil Greenwald, Executive Pastor of Administration
