Awake the Dawn!

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!..

My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
    Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!” Psalm 57:5,7-11

Birdsong fills the cool air with happy staccato, chirps and trills punctuated by an occasional caw, morning praises all. The sun still lies hidden but casts its fire upward, igniting scattered clouds, shouting glory at the dawn. Awake! Awake all creation to exalt the Creator! Awake, sing, shine!

The start of each day is a fresh palette for rejoicing. Only God knows what the hours will hold, what we know is that He is faithful and loves steadfastly. Lift the mind to thoughts above where Christ is seated and calm and troubles cannot molest! Raise heart to the heavens where the sovereign Savior dwells! Tune the voice for higher praise! (Colossians 3:1-2)

Oh, how easy as earth dwellers to hum the dirge and sigh away our moments. To brood on undersides and wallow in shadows of resentment, regret, self-pity, despair. Has the drone become complaint, the heart’s hope banal, the life lens discontent? Awake, my soul! Look up and hope! Your God reigns in goodness and power! He resides in the heavens and rules the nations!

From what need I awake and sing?

“Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy dai­ly stage of du­ty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joy­ful rise,
To pay thy morn­ing sac­ri­fice.

Thy pre­cious time mis­spent, re­deem,
Each pre­sent day thy last es­teem,
Improve thy ta­lent with due care;
For the great day thy­self pre­pare.

By in­flu­ence of the Light di­vine
Let thy own light to oth­ers shine.
Reflect all Heav­en’s pro­pi­tious ways
In ar­dent love, and cheer­ful praise.

In con­ver­sa­tion be sin­cere;
Keep con­sci­ence as the noon­tide clear;
Think how all see­ing God thy ways
And all thy sec­ret thoughts sur­veys.

Wake, lift up thy­self, my heart,
And with the an­gels bear thy part,
Who all night long un­wea­ried sing
High praise to the eter­nal King.

Heav’n is, dear Lord, wher­e’er Thou art,
O nev­er then from me de­part;
For to my soul ’tis hell to be
But for one mo­ment void of Thee.

Lord, I my vows to Thee re­new;
Disperse my sins as morn­ing dew.
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thy­self my spir­it fill.

Direct, con­trol, sug­gest, this day,
All I de­sign, or do, or say,
That all my pow­ers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glo­ry may unite.

I would not wake nor rise again
And Heav’n it­self I would dis­dain,
Wert Thou not there to be en­joyed,
And I in hymns to be em­ployed.

Praise God, from whom all bless­ings flow;
Praise Him, all crea­tures here be­low;
Praise Him above, ye heav’n­ly host;
Praise Fa­ther, Son, and Ho­ly Ghost.” ~Thomas Ken (1695)

Lord, may I daily greet You in Your dawn with rejoicing, thanksgiving, determination, and praise.