As the rain and snow

“‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
    Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,
    and oppress your workers.
You fast only to quarrel and fight
    and hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
    will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
    a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
    and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of wickedness,..
to let the oppressed go free,
    and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him?..
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
    you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke..,
    the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
    and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
    and satisfy your desire in scorched places
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters do not fail.
And… you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
    the restorer of streets to dwell in.

“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
    from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
    and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
    or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the Lord,
    and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth.” Isaiah 58:3-14

The exchange between man and God uncovers the sting man’s determination won’t remove. When he boasts of humility and what he doesn’t do, the Lord upends his pride. True delight in Him comes only by doing as He prescribes.

Human nature makes us think we please God by orchestrating our own parameters, deciding what we’ll forego, and feigning meekness, yet we persist in selfish business. We fashion our fasts to fit God into our busy and pretend a nod of honor. But life that revolves around us is anything but honoring to Him. Pursuing our own plans and pleasure hinders true sacrifice and disparages the God who would receive it.

The Lord takes pleasure when we fast from self to serve others. Living that glorifies Him isn’t about our manufactured don’ts, but substantive dos. How intentional are we about sharing the gospel and practicing its generosity and graciousness? How can we serve the oppressed and free the captive through prayer, encouragement, and meeting practical needs?

Lord, make sweet my every action and service to honor You alone.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-10

This letter begins blessing the Lord, the God of mercies and all comfort. Grace and peace from Him. Blessed be He. All eyes on His supremacy and greatness as God and tender firmness as Father. Then Paul turns to the Corinthians’ suffering, only after it’s covered in the Lord and seen through the lens of His love.

That is how all suffering can be viewed. When seen in God’s economy, the harsher the affliction, the greater the comfort. The deeper the depravity, the greater the rescue. The worse the despair, the greater the deliverance. The farther the separation, the greater the salvation. God orders our afflictions to magnify His greatness and grace, not only to us, but to be spread abroad to others and result in praise. Broken glass crushed fine gets scattered by walking through it.

How do we view present afflictions? Do we compare troubles to former difficulty and pain and say we can take no more? Do we weigh with the world’s scales of rightful comfort and ease? Or do we see them borne on Christ’s shoulders, and meted out perfectly to us so we could experience His divine comfort? How will we share His imparted strength for today and hope for tomorrow?

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. 
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!..

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.” Psalm 57:1-3,7-9

Lord, help me see afflictions through Your eyes, and gratefully share in Christ’s sufferings so I may also share in, and share abroad, His comforts.

“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. As in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,  and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming… Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.” Matthew 24:30-31,36-42,44-47

God, in His wisdom, tells us what we must know in order to know and walk intimately with Him. Coincidentally, there are many things He doesn’t reveal, or at least inform us of ahead of time. We live in the tension between the now and not yet, the known and yet-to-be-revealed. While our knowledge is incomplete, our mandate is anything but tenuous: Watch, be ready, be faithful. (Matthew 25:13,21; 1 Corinthians 13:9-12)

We do know that Jesus is surely coming again, and every person will be held to account. It is appointed unto each of us once to die, and then face judgment. As long as we’re here, God expects us to exercise the specific gifts He’s assigned and apportioned for the upbuilding of the church. (Matthew 25:31-35; Romans 12:3-8; Hebrews 9:27)

We also know the Lord supplies for every need in Christ, everything necessary to say no to sin and sloth and yes to Him and fruitfulness. We know He instructs us in the way to go, and guides us with His Spirit and word. We know that only when we abide in Jesus can we bear much fruit. (Psalm 32:8; 119:105; John 15:5; Philippians 4:19; Titus 2:11-12)

How are we balancing watching with action? How are we implementing what we know about our meantime until Christ’s return? Where are we investing what’s been entrusted to us- time, energy, experience, wisdom of years, talent- for God’s kingdom? Whom do we live and care for and serve for Jesus’s sake? (Matthew 25:16-17,35-40)

Lord, help me trust You with the unknown as I faithfully apply what I know for Your sake and glory.

“But he knows the way that I take;
    when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
My foot has held fast to his steps;
    I have kept his way and not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
    I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
He is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
    What he desires, that he does.
For he will complete what he appoints for me,
    and many such things are in his mind.” Job 23:10-14

“He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them…
The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astounded at his rebuke.
By his power he stilled the sea…
By his wind the heavens were made fair…
Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
    and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?” Job 26:8,11-14

The predawn sky blazes as a smelting furnace, coal hot fire in roiling clouds, indescribably awe-inspiring, hushing the soul. How like our majestic God to punctuate the storm with such beauty. The color is only a reflection in the west of the emblazoned rising sun in the east, its richness reminding that He is present in every darkness to mark it with glory. Only God’s design, His intricate disorder of the atmosphere and the refraction of light in the clouds that ignites the fiery hue, could pronounce this benediction on the storm.

And so He paints His beauty in the worst we suffer. Deep waves engulf the soul with sorrow or regret, and He brings calm. The darkness of confusion, or shame, or despondence, stymies and threatens to choke, and our Lord Jesus penetrates the thickness with light. When hope is pallid and zeal anemic, our Almighty colors our vision with vitality and boldness. Do we see Him? Can we trace His hand of grace, of tender love, of steady faithfulness? Can we glimpse the shades of mercy here and benevolent correction there? Are we so fraught with troubles that we cannot look beyond to the One who designs them to show off His glory?

In what present storm is God displaying beauty? Have His promises glimmered, or friends sparked kindness’s colors? Where is hope gleaming, or His palpable comfort sustaining?

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
shelters you under his wings, yea so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen how your desires ere have been
met by his gracious ordaining?

Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.” ~Joachim Neander (1680)

Lord, in every storm, give me eyes to behold Your beauty and lips that declare Your praise.

“When… you return to the Lord your God and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you… And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live… For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you… when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

“For this commandment is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land… But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,.. you shall surely perish… Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days.” Deuteronomy 30:1-3,6,9-20

There were high stakes for how Israel would handle God’s word going forth without Moses. The God whose power was in that word issued clear commands for their present and future good, explicitly describing the choices before them and their attending consequences. Not only had He first conveyed His law to His beloved servant, but He would issue warnings and blessings regarding that law through him too. (Exodus 24:12; Deuteronomy 33:1-5,29)

The call to keep God’s word near is a relevant and applicable reminder. So many things vie for our close proximity and urgent attention. The word calls us to account, instructs and informs decisions, and prompts praise and thanksgiving. Wholehearted love and obedience come by regular reading and meditation, memorization and recitation.

What are we doing to keep the word close and know it well? When the world’s sultry music tempts the heart, or life’s minor notes condemn us to a dirge, would we sing melodies of His promises? When experts and thought leaders dictate fabricated ‘truth’ and poke us with fear, cynicism, or stress, would we don the word to guard and guide our thinking? It is no empty word, but substantial hope and help! How will we pass it on? (Deuteronomy 31:10-13,19-22; 32:1-4,44-47)

Father, keep your word close as my chief delight and highest aim, so You are glorified as my life, the length and end of my days.

“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

“’Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.'” Luke 12:22-34

Jesus has a remarkable way of challenging the thinking of His hearers. Naturally inclined to fuss about what they might eat or wear, His disciples were asked to consider the ravens that flew, and the flowers that grew, and the God who oversaw and cared for them both. He taught them to look beyond their near-sightedness, rise above their fretting and scurrying, and seek His kingdom and how to contribute to it. Reoriented outlook makes for revamped priorities and deeper understanding of eternal treasure.

What occupies our mental and physical focus? Do we spend an inordinate amount of time looking in the pantry or closet, at our work or belongings, and never consider the One who provided them? Do we watch abroad and worry at the nations, getting caught in causes and crowds without pausing to gaze at lilies and marvel that their Designer and Sustainer is ours also? Anything that captivates our emotions and attention makes it hard to get to the fields where lilies neither toil or spin. Whatever we value most occupies the throne of our heart. If we would seek God’s invisible and heavenly kingdom first, He will tend to our earthly cares. (Colossians 1:16-17; Revelation 4:11)

What are my daily priorities, my life dreams? How aligned are these with the Lord’s imprint on my life by way of gifts, place, and call? How do I let momentary urgencies distract me from His wider kingdom purposes? How can I today seek first His kingdom?

“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.” ~Old Irish, translated by Mary Byrne

Father, keep my treasure, hope, and satisfaction with You first and always.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three.” 1 Corinthians 13:13a

Paul explains the accessibility of God’s promises to those who believe. The salvation first offered to the Jews is available to all, through faith, because of Jesus’s resurrection victory over sin and death, and consequent justification on our behalf. Because of His gift, God’s children stand firm in grace and can rejoice in hope of God’s glory. It’s a happy thought, rejoicing in hope. But more so in our sufferings?

Paul connects sufferings and hope inextricably, understanding that it is Christ’s very suffering for us that forged His path to victory. So for us, sharing in His sufferings accomplishes in us transformation that can be wrought by nothing else. It is the polishing for every gem, the fire that refines, done carefully by the nail-scarred hands of our Redeemer. The pain we experience in tandem with Christ’s ultimately produces the fellowship His achieved, and in that we can rejoice. (Psalm 69:9; John 15:18-19)

It is counterintuitive to welcome suffering, unnatural in the flesh to desire it. So how do we rejoice in our sufferings? By an act of the will. We choose by faith to trust that God is good and working all things for good. We believe that He apportions graces and circumstances to sanctify us, to make us more like Him. We can also know that He never gives more than we can bear, and promises to confirm and renew us in His time. (Romans 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 3:10-11; 1 Peter 5:10)

It is hope that ignites our expectation of Christ’s meeting us in love. Hope gives substance to what our sufferings are accomplishing in us by way of deeper knowledge of Him, His attributes and ways. It assures consequent greater endurance and fuller character as we call on Him and He answers. Hope fills out our praise. (Psalm 18:1-6)

Deliberate rejoicing in hope of future glory, heaven, and eternity in our Lord’s presence enhances our day to day. It helps us persevere in hard times, it keeps us pressing on toward the upward prize. We may be in the slough of difficulty, or grief, or limbo, but we know with certainty what is to come. (Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:12-15)

Where are we stymied by suffering, paralyzed by pain, unable to proceed? What circumstances have presently choked our breathing and blurred heavenly vision? Would we choose to rejoice in the One who loves us in it and leads us through? How is the Lord weaning us from earthly ties and comforts, from arrogance and selfishness, and making us holy as we exercise hope?

God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I may abound in hope to Your glory. (Romans 15:13)

“Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away…
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:4-12

How could such agony, affliction, and brokenness be God’s will? It’s unjust! Cruel! The opposite of loving! Yet what is irreconcilable dichotomy to man is righteous justice to God. What man’s imperfect nature cannot comprehend, God’s perfect nature plans and executes. We see clouds and spots, He sees beautiful reality in the full light of love. We are the sinners, we the culprits, we the deserving of wrath. God the magnificent Creator and Sovereign is Master of the Great Exchange, exquisitely substituting in Christ what we deserve. His will to crush His only Son is the same will to prosper that Son as victor and His people for eternity. (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 1:9)

Like in many areas of life, we want for the spiritual realm only what we deem good, easy, comfortable, palatable. For some reason, borne of smugness about ourselves or flagrant denial of God’s holiness, we imagine a god who would never think to allow such pain and would surely turn his back on anything so agonizing as punishment. But God’s will to crush His only Son displays the horror of our estate without His mercy. The offensiveness of the cross is a picture of the offense our sin is against the Almighty. And God’s will to prosper Christ out of the tomb, ascended in glory to heaven, makes the way out for us too.

Can we grasp the beauty borne of buffeting, the peace procured from punishment, the salve secured from suffering? Where need we surrender our will to God’s? (Luke 22:42)

Lord, help me daily say Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, so Your will prospers and You are glorified. (Matthew 6:10)

“As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out.  He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, ‘Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!’

“Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, ‘Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.’

“But the king said, ‘What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, “Curse David,” who can ask, “Why do you do this?”’

“David then said to Abishai and all his officials, ‘My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.’

“So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.” 2 Samuel 16:5-14

Against the irritation, disrespect, and threat of Shimei, we might side with Abishai. Obliterate the cruel curses! Give him what he deserves! Defend the rightful king! But the man after God’s heart had an internal monitor that thrummed with the Divine. He knew what could happen when emotion ran unreined, and rather than repeat a hard lesson, he put it into practice.

David had learned to trust God’s timing, mysterious ways, and bigger plans. He allowed room for what his Lord allowed and ordered. Having experienced His deliverance and unwarranted favor before, he believed God could work good from bad circumstances if He so willed. It was best to leave these things to Him.

We too have inner compasses, plumb lines, and timers, and are wired to adjust what’s going on around us to our conscience and standards. A strong sense of justice, or compassion, or righteousness often dictates our decisions and plan of action. It’s vital we keep impulses in synch with the Spirit of God who works all things for good for His own, and whose timing is impeccable and ways are pure. We never know what we miss when we get in His way and impetuously take matters in our own hands, but we can be sure of His blessing when we leave them in His. (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 8:28)

Where am I prone to jump to quick action without thinking? Are there heart-held passions that dictate punishment or retribution before weighing what the Lord might intend or prefer? How deeply do I trust Him to work out His good ends?

Lord, teach me to give room to Your plans and trust Your best ways in everything.

“You split open springs and brooks;
    you dried up ever-flowing streams.
Yours is the day, yours also the night;
    you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
    you have made summer and winter.”

“Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock.” Psalm 74:15-17; 77:19-20a

God ordains both day and night. As sure as the earth spins to a rising sun each morning and setting sun each evening, so sure is His constancy in our days of light and joy and nights of dark and distress. The boundaries and limits, the testing and lessons, the stinging and balm, the blessings and graces, all are His, held and bestowed by His mighty, loving hands. He is the sovereign of seasons.

For us, life is not so predictable or steady. We make plans and have them dashed, we begin a project only to find our progress thwarted. We leap along in joy and slam into sorrow, we work to complete and urgencies interrupt. We try to script children and careers, and the Author of our faith rewrites again and again. His is the day, His also the night.

Am I prone to be grateful when things hum along smoothly, but grouch and doubt when circumstances turn rocky? Do I quickly go from a wink and smile to a furrowed brow? What is it I expect from God, or think I deserve? How will I correct my attitude? Can I honestly concur with Job, Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? He determines one and the other, knowing both are necessary for the development of our faith and grasp of His mercies and goodness. Remember, His is the day, His also the night. (Job 1:21; 2:10)

Instead of grousing ungratefully, how might my outlook change if I welcomed hardships as the required underbelly of the graces I’ve received, the balance to favor that gives it punch? Isn’t light all the brighter when I’ve come from the dark? And doesn’t the length of night enhance appreciation for dawning day? Let’s praise God for His imagination and sovereignty in ordering rhythms of days and seasons, and see how heavenly anticipation might increase. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5; 130:6)

“O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!” ~Robert Grant (1833)

Father, keep me trusting and praising You for ruling both day and night for my good and Your glory.