Morning and Evening (devotionals)

 From Amish Peace...

Afresh Each Morning

"Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." - Lamentations 3:23

Jars filled with produce from autumn's harvest line the shelves of the pantry, to last until fresh fruit and vegetables are again in season.  The barns have caches of grain to feed the livestock through the winter, and pens are filled with clean straw to keep the floors tidy.  Yet even as the Amish family depends on their stored resources through winter, their souls need daily maintenance, daily gathering in the Word, and renewal through daily prayer.

We read in Isaiah 33:2, "Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you.  Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble."  To claim God's mercies, God's followers don't rely only on stored up resources but also on time spent daily with God.  Many Amish families have a time of Bible reading and devotions in the morning and a time of prayer together at night.

Do you have a similar practice?  You may calculate much in your own life: your shopping list, your budget, your calendar.  You may "store up" for a rainy day, but don't treat your moments with God in the same way.  Open yourself to God's goodness in the morning.  Take time to feel His smile at the end of the day.

Dear heavenly Father, sometimes I act as if a good Sunday sermon will carry me all the way through Friday, or as if worship songs from the radio will give me a boost for the day.  These things are certainly good starts, but they aren't enough.  Give me the desire to spend more and more time with You each day so that I can recognize and experience Your new mercies to me.

From Beside the Still Waters...

An Evening Look - Read: Matthew 14:1-23

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray: and when the evening come, he was alone there." - Matthew 14:23

It is well at the close of the day to do as Jesus did and retire from the multitudes of our labors and thoughts.  The freshness and vigor of the morning has worn off, to be replaced by the tiredness and satisfaction of honest work.  It behooves us to take a backward look over the events of the day.  Have we accomplished the most important tasks?  Have we walked with God?  Have we served others, especially to meet the needs of our family?

Our evening look should have several aspects.  It should be an inward look, to lay down any negative attitudes.  "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26).  A time of evening quietness will allow us to hear God's still small voice.  We should be penitent over our shortcomings and humble over our successes.

Our evening look should be an outward look - to count our blessings rather than our grievances.  Pausing to ponder the busy events of the day will help us not to miss its blessings.  We can be thankful for what God has given us, thankful for what He has spared us from, and thankful for His forgiveness.

Above all, it should be an upward look.  "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8).  This is a security far above any other.  We lift praises to God, who gives us life.  Any difficulties of the day will seem small.  Evening is surely a special time of day.  When we are tired, we can easily lose focus on the important things.  But a quiet, prayerful evening look can help us draw nigh to God as Jesus did.

Daniel Miller - Erhard, MN

I love to steal awhile away from every cumbering care,

And spend the hours of setting day in humble, grateful prayer. 

- Phoebe H Brown