Written by Megan Burns. Media by Taylor Harpster.
Do you ever roll out of bed and immediately want to get back in? Then you struggle to bounce back all day. It is like they say: you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).”
The author of Psalm 118 is not named, though many Psalms are attributed to David. Nevertheless, the chapter is about having confidence in God. It is about God’s unchanging love in the midst of change, giving us security in Him. Because of this love, we get to wake up every day with hearts filled with joy. He loves and protects us, and He has made this day, so we have no reason not to fill ourselves with joy.
In her popular, daily devotion, “Jesus Calling,” Sarah Young writes, “Begin the day with open hands of faith, ready to receive all that I [God] am pouring into this brief portion of your life.” I cannot imagine how much more desire we would have to do God’s will if we made the decision each and every morning to open our arms to Him. We are like infants, waking up in our cradles and crying. Yet instead, we cry out to God. We hold our arms up, waiting for Him to pick us up out of the comfort of our bed to start our day. This does not mean we do not have to do any work and that we can constantly cry about our situations without attempting to make them better.
Young continues to say, “Be careful not to complain about anything, even the weather, since I am the Author of your circumstances.” It is so hard to wake up to your alarm ringing in your ear and maintain a positive attitude. We tend to complain a lot, but we must remember that God created this day. He handcrafted our life and our days, and we should strive to be grateful instead of complaining.
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).
A key to waking up with joy is looking forward to what the day will bring. God knows what we can and cannot handle. He will provide for us, and we can look forward to our day with confidence. Do not wake up dwelling on the happenings of yesterday, but instead get up joyfully, excited to see what the day has the potential to be. Luke 11:3 says, “Give us each day our daily bread.” We recite the Lord’s prayer, often by muscle memory, but it is important to take time and dwell on the words. As you wake up in the morning, ask God to provide, and He will.
We are loved by our Creator. He created us, and He creates every day for us. So, let us go into our days filled with joy, not dwelling on the past, but with open arms, ready to do God’s will.
