Weeping may stay for
the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
(Psalms 30:5, NIV)
The morning will come. It always does. It is a promise from
God. However, just because the morning always comes does not mean that the
night cannot be very dark, lonely, and silent. For many, myself included, the
events of this global pandemic that we now know of as COVID-19 has felt like perpetual night. We ask ourselves, “what was it like to go out to eat with friends,
or sit in a college classroom, or enjoy an evening shopping?” Although it has
only been a few weeks, to many of us, it feels as though the night will not end.
Every morning that we awake, we are reminded that things are not as they should
be. We are reminded what finite life in this world looks like. However, we are
also reminded that God is the God of both morning and night. We are reminded
that darkness is like light to Him, and we are reminded that morning will come
and with the morning, joy (Psalms 139:12, 30:5).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer has some encouraging words in regard to
the morning. He states: “We would learn again of God the Father and Creator who
has preserved our life through the dark night and awakened us to a new day…”
(24). Bonhoeffer encourages the community of faith to remember that the morning
is meant to be a communal time between the individual and God and between the
individual and the faith community. The Bible teaches in numerous passages
about the value and the importance of the morning. The Psalmist declares “O
Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you,
and watch” (Psalms 5:4 [25]). The Psalmist also speaks saying: “My heart is steadfast,
O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn” (Psalms 57:8 [25]). Mornings are
a special time of intimate communion and fellowship with God and with brothers
and sisters in Christ.
These promises of the morning are an encouragement to those facing
the implications of COVID-19. Maybe, during these dark weeks and months, we
could take up new habits of seeking God in the morning. What would it look like
for believers all over the world to commit to praying with and for one another
every morning? I believe it is of great importance to habitually practice time of prayer and Bible reading every morning, and many believers do engage in
this practice. However, times like the present are times when it is especially
difficult to maintain or begin new habits. The days run together, discouragement
sets in, and it becomes much easier to stay in bed then to rise and fellowship with
Christ. My challenge for the reader and for myself is to spend focused time
throughout this week engaging in the practice of rising with the morning and fellowshipping
with Christ. May we each rest in the promise that “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, NIV).
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