A Song for Morning and Evening.
Psalm 92:1-2,4-5,12-15 NLT
[1] It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. [2] It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, [4] You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. [5] O LORD, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts. [12] But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. [13] For they are transplanted to the LORD’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. [14] Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. [15] They will declare, “The LORD is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.Psalm 92:2
A Composer, named Franz Schubert died destitute in Vienna at the age of thirty-one, leaving nothing but his clothes and what his brother called “some old music.” It transpired that this “old music” contained a series of beautiful songs (lieder) which are still performed today. One of his best-known song series was based on twenty poems written by a traveling horn player. We know nothing of the horn player’s travails, but we know enough of Schubert’s life to marvel that a man experiencing such pain and sadness could write such beautiful music. Schubert wrote to a friend, “I feel myself to be the most unhappy, unfortunate creature in the world. . . . Every night, when I go to sleep, I hope I will not wake again, and every morning reminds me only of yesterday’s unhappiness.”
The ancient book of Psalms is another song series. The psalms have been in use for millennia in the liturgy and life of the people of Israel. This does not mean that ancient worshipers sang praises only on the Lord’s day. Those who follow the psalmist’s thinking know that “it is good to proclaim [the Lord’s] unfailing love in the morning, [his] faithfulness in the evening” (Psalm 92:2). Every morning, every evening.
Morning and evening thankfulness is good, not only because it lifts the downcast soul and makes the godly “flourish like palm trees” (Psalm 92:12), but also because it is an expression that comes from the satisfied soul. That soul can say, “You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!” (Psalm 92:4), and marvels, “Lord, . . . how deep are your thoughts” (Psalm 92:5). The thankful heart is made “strong as a wild bull” and exclaims, “How refreshed I am by your power!” (Psalm 92:10).
By contrast, the miserable soul compounds its own pain. Schubert went to sleep dreading the next morning and woke to relive the previous day’s unhappiness. But if a man cannot recount the Lord’s goodness, if he cannot recognize it in what is common, in good times and in bad, he will not think to “give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High” (Psalm 92:1).
If you go to bed miserable, you stand a good chance of waking up sad, but if you lay your head on the pillow with thanksgiving, you are more likely to greet the morning with joy. And you may even sing as you shave, even when you cut yourself.
Ephesians 5:15-20 NLT
[15] So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. [16] Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. [17] Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. [18] Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, [19] singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. [20] And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:4-7 MSG
[4-5] Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! [6-7] Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
How ya doin inside your head and heart?
God’s always there for you!
Luke 11:2-4,9-13 MSG
[2-4] So he said, “When you pray, say, Father, Reveal who you are. Set the world right. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.” [9] “Here’s what I’m saying: Ask and you’ll get; Seek and you’ll find; Knock and the door will open. [10-13] “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”
One day at a time with God will carry you through with joy!