He loved the smell of lonely campfires, the crisp feeling of awakening on a frosty morning.”
–Louis L’Amour (Heller With a Gun)
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
–Mark 1:35 (NKJV)
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“Good morning, good morning, good morning, it’s time to rise and shine,” so goes the little song. When we look at Psalm 108 we find that this is a psalm, not only to just wake us up for the day, but to make sure that our soul is awake to the things and person of God.
1 — O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2 — Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
3 — I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4 — For Your mercy is great above the heavens, Your truth reaches to the clouds.
5 — Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth. (NKJV)
Listen my friend, a steadfast heart, a confident heart is imperative for the day in which we live. As Steven Lawson says, “Trusting the Lord does not naively explain away one’s problems, nor make them less than what they really are. Neither does faith go into denial and pretend that problems do not exist. To the contrary, faith faces problems head-on with a positive, triumphant outlook… In the midst of every difficulty, faith always sees the opportunity for God to work. Faith is always up, not down; always encouraged, not discouraged; always reaching forward, not retreating backward; always overcoming, not being overcome.”
The last phrase of verse 1 from the NLT states, “Wake up, my soul!” When that happens, the soul bursts out in song with praise to the Lord. Something from down deep in a person rises because he knows his God. The stereotypical view of the morning is “O Lord, it’s morning, woe is me. Let me drag myself out of bed.” But here we see David, leaping from his slumber. Why? To worship!
David had supreme confidence, not in his abilities, but in his God. “Such a steady heart is a singing heart.” (Lawson) It is one thing to sing from the lips, this can be trite and only give lip-service to the Lord, but when the soul sings, that is something else. That is assurance. David wanted to be sure he praised the Lord first thing in the morning, then he wanted to make sure that his enemies heard his praises of God.
Perhaps, you’re grumbling, what’s there to sing about? You’ve got the mully-grubs and don’t care to get out. You are enjoying your pillow and don’t want to get up and face the world. I would then ask, what kind of God do you serve? Get up and sing for the greatness of God. Just think of it, you’re part of this great universe and placed in this particular time and place for a purpose–that purpose, to praise the Lord. Get up and sing for the grace and mercy that the Father has shown through His Son, Jesus Christ. Look at His mercy, it reaches above the heavens! Get up and sing for His faithfulness to you. His truth is sure and enduring, and it says that He will never forsake His people. The words of H.C. Leupold rings true, “How deeply God loves his people, and how true He is to His word–these are experiences that keep growing on God’s children as long as they draw breath here on earth. Surely both are as high as the heavens or as high as the clouds.” No matter the circumstances, no matter how dire things may look, we should be praising God for His glory is over the earth, and He is with you, and His people, and will deliver them from their woes.
“My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear.
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And ‘Father, Abba, Father,’ cry.”
–Charles Wesley
——————————
“Good morning, good morning, good morning, it’s time to rise and shine,” so goes the little song. When we look at Psalm 108 we find that this is a psalm, not only to just wake us up for the day, but to make sure that our soul is awake to the things and person of God.
1 — O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2 — Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
3 — I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4 — For Your mercy is great above the heavens, Your truth reaches to the clouds.
5 — Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth. (NKJV)
Listen my friend, a steadfast heart, a confident heart is imperative for the day in which we live. As Steven Lawson says, “Trusting the Lord does not naively explain away one’s problems, nor make them less than what they really are. Neither does faith go into denial and pretend that problems do not exist. To the contrary, faith faces problems head-on with a positive, triumphant outlook… In the midst of every difficulty, faith always sees the opportunity for God to work. Faith is always up, not down; always encouraged, not discouraged; always reaching forward, not retreating backward; always overcoming, not being overcome.”
The last phrase of verse 1 from the NLT states, “Wake up, my soul!” When that happens, the soul bursts out in song with praise to the Lord. Something from down deep in a person rises because he knows his God. The stereotypical view of the morning is “O Lord, it’s morning, woe is me. Let me drag myself out of bed.” But here we see David, leaping from his slumber. Why? To worship!
David had supreme confidence, not in his abilities, but in his God. “Such a steady heart is a singing heart.” (Lawson) It is one thing to sing from the lips, this can be trite and only give lip-service to the Lord, but when the soul sings, that is something else. That is assurance. David wanted to be sure he praised the Lord first thing in the morning, then he wanted to make sure that his enemies heard his praises of God.
Perhaps, you’re grumbling, what’s there to sing about? You’ve got the mully-grubs and don’t care to get out. You are enjoying your pillow and don’t want to get up and face the world. I would then ask, what kind of God do you serve? Get up and sing for the greatness of God. Just think of it, you’re part of this great universe and placed in this particular time and place for a purpose–that purpose, to praise the Lord. Get up and sing for the grace and mercy that the Father has shown through His Son, Jesus Christ. Look at His mercy, it reaches above the heavens! Get up and sing for His faithfulness to you. His truth is sure and enduring, and it says that He will never forsake His people. The words of H.C. Leupold rings true, “How deeply God loves his people, and how true He is to His word–these are experiences that keep growing on God’s children as long as they draw breath here on earth. Surely both are as high as the heavens or as high as the clouds.” No matter the circumstances, no matter how dire things may look, we should be praising God for His glory is over the earth, and He is with you, and His people, and will deliver them from their woes.
“My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear.
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And ‘Father, Abba, Father,’ cry.”
–Charles Wesley