Joy Comes in the Morning

Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

I tiptoed down the stairs to my quiet spot, lit my pear candle, and tried to pray. But my mind was cluttered with frustrations and concerns that made it hard to concentrate.

As I looked out our arched Victorian window, the beginnings of a vibrant sunrise beckoned me. So I wrapped my bathrobe around my body a little tighter, slid my feet into my crocks, and stepped through the doorway into the cool morning air.

The voices of little birds welcomed me. Geese honked far off to the north. But my heavy heart paid no attention. As I tromped down our lane I tried to focus my weary brain on the line of color rising on the horizon, but my eyes kept being drawn to the dreary clouds that still blanketed most of the sky. Those seemed more fitting for my mood at the moment.

I continued my walk around our property hoping that the heaviness of my concerns, heightened by my fitful sleep, would reach the perimeter of my mind and fall off into nothingness. But they persisted. Even in the midst of the waking beauty around me the niggling burdens dug their talons into my subconscious and held on for dear life. It seemed that nothing would ever be right again!

That is when I heard it – the far off sound of church bells striking the hour. The sound was muffled by the thick morning air, but I could still hear them chiming even from miles away. My ears perked up as the pleasant peals broke through my thoughts and shifted my perspective. Though I couldn’t see the source of the chimes, somewhere in the fog they beckoned me to focus on the One Who had all the answers I was searching for.

My step quickened as the weight of the burdens seemed finally to lose their grip. I lifted my eyes to the ever brightening sky, raised my hands in the air, and cried out to the Lord. “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

Sometimes during the night the burdens of the day seem so much greater and scarier. But even in the darkness He is there. Call out to Him, order your prayers to Him, and watch for Him to reveal Himself. Joy comes in the morning!

Love,

Mama