Sunrise to Sunset

Each year as we journey through these 4 weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas we encounter familiar readings from the Bible and yet each time I read them there is a certain kind of freshness that comes. For example.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

God hasn’t changed, doesn’t change, won’t ever change. He’s forever faithful and His mercies are new every morning.  There’s newness and freshness to each day and God’s love is available to us, not only at the break of day, but all through the day; not just in good times but in the most challenging of seasons.

In another place in Scripture we have our response laid out for us:

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you his servants; 

praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord

 be praised, both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, 

the name of the Lord is to be praised. 

Psalm 113:1-3

Lord we are so glad today to know that from the beginning of the day to its end, you are holding all things in Your loving hands.  What a stabilizing and comforting truth that is.

We pause for just a moment again today to remember with thanks all that You do so we don’t forget that You are the one who ….

… is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 

Psalm 103: 8, 10, 13-14

We take heart in these wonderful truths that are ours today – new and fresh.  This is the compassion You are providing for us again today.  This is the life of peace and blessing that is ours today and for which from the rising of the sun to it’s going down we will praise You.  Amen

Maybe sunrise and sunset are good times to just take those brief moments to reflect on the beauty and the faithfulness of God’s love for us.  Let’s be filled up with God’s compassion new and fresh today.