Rise and Shine!

Psalm 90:14

O satisfy us in the morning

With Thy lovingkindness,

That we may sing for joy

And be glad all our days.

This is the latest addition to my collection. Some people collect stamps or baseball cards or garden gnomes; I collect Bible verses about morning. Believe it or not, I used to be a "morning person." Then college hit. Staying up till 2 a.m. writing a 10-page paper on "The Silent Years of the Apostle Paul" made it verrrry difficult to rise and shine a few short hours later. Then I found Psalm 143:8, "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love." It became a kind of daily prayer--and every day I found it to be true. God's infinite, constant love greeted me with each ringing of the alarm clock. Since then, every time I came across a verse that would help me roll out of bed to begin a new day, I took time to memorize it, and many times I find those wonderful words to be my first thought upon waking up. Interestingly, the Bible has a lot to say about morning. The Lord's mercies are new every morning... rejoicing comes in the morning... in the morning He hears our voice as we lay our requests before Him and wait in expectation. Thankfully, I have no more papers to write or exams to cram for, but sometimes the challenges of the new day--real or imagined--are enough to make me want to unplug my alarm clock and roll over. Don't tell me I'm the only one! Aren't you glad God promises His love, mercy and grace sufficient for each day? It makes all the difference when you know the "bright Morning Star."