Psalm 65:8 (CEB)

Those who dwell on the far edges
        stand in awe of your acts.
    You make the gateways
        of morning and evening sing for joy.


Reflection

“You make the gateways of morning and evening sing for joy.”

When we’re on a beach vacation, invariably someone will suggest that we get up to watch the sunrise. What happens next is that I look at the sunrise time, inwardly groan, but resolve to get up anyway: “you only do this a couple times a year,” I tell myself, “suck it up.”

I have yet to be disappointed.

To be sure, some sunrises are better than others. But I have yet to regret doing this, no matter how tired I am when the alarm goes off.

Often, we vacation on barrier islands – either LBI or the Outer Banks. What’s beautiful about that is having the opportunity to watch the sunrise over the ocean and sunset over the bay, all in the same day.

There is something about that process that feels holy to me, like we’re genuinely taking the time to give thanks and celebrate the gift of another day by admiring God’s handiwork on either end of it.

Each morning, we have the opportunity to welcome the day and its Creator. And each evening, we have the opportunity to rest knowing that God is keeping watch over us, even in the darkness.

Let the daily rotation of the earth remind you that you are encircled each day by God’s love and care. And when those reminders are delivered in such beautiful packages – it’s truly an occasion for awe and wonder at the goodness of the One who made us all.

By Joe Monahan


For Pondering & Prayer

Are there natural processes that serve to remind you of God’s great love for you?

Prayer: God: in the sunrise and sunset, in the cycle of the seasons, in the pattern of rain and sun that nourish the earth and all creatures that dwell in it, let us today see your loving hand at work. Amen.