Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing yet had been done.”
~ C.S. Lewis ~

It’s 5:15 a.m. My alarm is set to my favorite radio station because I can’t stand the bleating noise of the buzzer, which is unnecessary anyway. I always wake on my own. This particular morning my eyes fly open at the exact moment the first note of a song lifts itself to the Heavens.

“Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God, my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.”

As the music flows, and the words bless, God pours His spirit on me, filling my soul with His presence. This is a special birthday gift from my Heavenly Father in His perfect timing.

“Morning by morning new mercies I see. . . Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow. . . .”

I am not a morning person by choice, but I love it when I can go outside and enjoy the sunrise. In the early morning hours with nature as a backdrop, it’s just God and me as tendrils of pink and orange move across the sky, chasing away the night. There are no physical barriers to impede my communication with God, no ceiling to hold my prayers at bay. The cool, cleansing air holds the promise of a fresh new day, sweeps away the remnants of yesterday, and reminds me that every day, in Christ, I am made new.

Yesterday I meant to be faithful. I tried to be faithful. I tried to be His honorable daughter. I want to be perfect. It used to be easier; I used to be stronger. But life has a way of surprising you and beating the stuffing out of you. Thankfully, no matter how miserably I have failed, each day that I get another opportunity to draw breath, I have another day to serve Him better. To make better choices.

It has been my precious privilege to teach my 9-year-old granddaughter to grab these moments as well. When she spends the night, she always asks me to get her up early so we can “go outside and watch the sunrise.” In those blessed moments wrapped up together in a blanket like a burrito in the swing, sipping hot cocoa, there are no limitations. We talk about what a marvelous God we have. We talk about how God hears and answers our prayers. We talk about how sad it is that not everyone knows God. She asks me hard questions, such as why God allows bad things to happen. And sometimes we talk about when we get mad at God because it seems He isn’t answering our prayers. We talk to God in our every-day voices, because He is right there with us. Our forever friend. We worship with all our hearts as He floods us with His presence, accented by the new dawn flooding the sky with hope, making the darkness disappear in our surroundings and in our hearts.

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24

Oh God, thank You for not consuming me as I deserve. Thank You, Father, for compassions that fail not. Thank You for new mercies each morning! You are my portion, the filler of my soul. Without the renewal of morning, there would be no hope. Joy comes in the morning.

Visit Sting My Heart to read other writings on this C.S. Lewis quote. Please pray for the hostess, Iris, whose family has suffered a terrible loss this week.