3 Things That Will Make This Very Day a Blessing
We don’t need to look too hard at our days to see how each one is a blessing! Here are some ideas.
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we
may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14.)
This morning I woke up discouraged. Two very close friends have serious cancer. Another is in a crisis with a child, I have a long “to do” list and I’m exhausted. I was not looking forward to this day.
Before I got out of bed, I began to recite a prayer we taught our children when they were small and that I pray for myself each morning. I especially needed this today.
“Good morning, dear Lord,
This is YOUR day,
I am YOUR child,
Please show me YOUR way.”
This “morning” prayer reminds me that this day is not about me – my circumstances, my worries, my deadlines. It’s HIS day and He will lead me through it.
But even more, He will satisfy me with His steadfast love. Oh, how I need a constant reminder of this steadfast, never-ending love – His love which fills me up.
I need this steadfast love of his to travel from my head to my heart and my emotions. I want to be changed (transformed) by it not merely to believe it.
How can this transformation take place in our hearts and make this day a blessing?
3 Things will help:
- Begin by praising Him for who He is.
He is my Father, my Lord, my Savior. The One who knows me completely, even better than I know myself, and loves me even with a clear knowledge of my sins – which are more than I realize.
There is an old acronym that helps me praise God.
A is for Adoration: praising Him for who He is, his character traits,
C is for Confession: I ask Him to show me sins I need to confess.
T is for Thanksgiving: a time of thanking Him for specific things of recent days.
S is for Supplication: a time in which I make my requests known to Him.
It’s helpful to distinguish between adoration and thanksgiving. Adoration is pure praise.
We’ve used this pattern of prayer in small groups, with our children and grandchildren. Allow time for silence as you do this.
If I begin my day with praise, it enables His steadfast love to flow more easily through my heart, impacting my feelings.
- Get out in nature.
I love to hike. I don’t hike with ear pods. I hike in silence. As I hike, I ask God to heighten my senses – smell, touch, sight, taste, and hearing. I look for things that I would not ordinarily notice. Up, down, close, far.
Nature has a way of revealing God’s character. I notice that He is a God of detail – the variety of leaves and colors. He is a God who is always working, even when I can’t see it. On a cold gray winter day, everything may look bleak but underground He is preparing and nurturing plants that will burst forth at just the right moment. Nature reveals to us and reminds us of his character.
Being outside in His creation restores our perspective. It’s too easy to miss His blessings in our “hurry-up-get-there” world.
- Care for someone else.
Too often our default action is to satisfy ourselves. But it never lasts. We can’t fill ourselves up. Only His steadfast love can. Sometimes we need to get out of ourselves, to care for someone else. This is the message of the 2nd great commandment. To love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-39).
One of the best cures for grumpiness is reaching out to someone else. Our culture encourages us to satisfy ourselves, to be happy, and to make sure our child is as well.
In the morning ask yourself, “Who can I (we) care for today and how will we do it?”
Send a note to someone in need. Take your children to clean a neighbor’s yard. Serve a meal to a needy family. We want to raise “other-centered kids” in a “me-centered world.” Here is a blog post with practical ideas for this.
In His Word
Read Psalm 103 or Psalm 145 and write down or underline every trait of God. This is fun to do for a devotional with your kids or grandkids. Have them make a list in their journal and then have everyone take turns sharing their favorites.
In Your Life
Would you take 5 minutes now to praise and adore God?
Ask Him to remind you of His steadfast love for you and praise Him out loud or in song.
Click here to sing along or listen to “The Reckless Love of God.”
We Recommend
When you’re feeling discouraged, we pray that Susan’s books, Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Believe the God who is Bigger Than Your World, and the One Devotional: One Word, One Verse, One Thought for 100 Days would encourage you and draw you closer to your Creator.
Let’s Connect
Read Susan’s blog at susanalexanderyates.com where she encourages women in every season of life. You can also find her over on Instagram at @susanalexanderyates.