Morning Mercies
Welcome, friend! What a joy to have you steppin’ up my sidewalk today! So, come on up here on this ol’ front porch like you just heard a big ol’ bullfrog announce that the morning has arrived, and you smelled the aroma of bacon driftin’ out of my kitchen. Come pull up a chair and settle in for a lil’ spell. Let’s sit here and watch that lil’ woodpecker over there hammerin’ away at an oak tree with the confidence of an ol’ barnyard rooster that thinks it’s the star of the show. Life can make us feel a whole lot like that lil’ woodpecker. We peck and poke at our days thinkin’ we have everything figured out until God shifts the wind, and suddenly we realize we’re ain’t ready at all, not even as prepared as a silly ol’ cow tryin’ to figure out how to climb a windmill. Psalm 68:19 helps us to settle in here by sayin’, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits.” And to deepen this truth further, Lamentations 3:23 says, “Great is thy faithfulness.” Friend, that there verse is like findin’ a fresh spring in the middle of a dry pasture. It plum reminds us that God’s goodness shows up every single day.
The Israelites learned this lesson the hard way. Exodus 16:1-6 tells us they wandered into the Wilderness of Sin and immediately started complainin’. They missed Egypt’s stew pots and bread bowls, even though Egypt came with chains and misery. So, God said He would rain bread from heaven. Not weekly bread. Not monthly bread. Daily bread. He wanted ‘em to learn to trust Him one sunrise at a time. No hoardin’. No stockpilin’. Just gather what He gave and trust Him for tomorrow.
Karolina Sandell-Berg understood this, too. After watchin’ her father slip beneath the water during a tragic accident, she wrote, “Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here.” Friend, that ain’t no poetry. That’s plain survival. That’s pure faith. That’s the quiet truth that God gives strength in daily portions. Deuteronomy 33:25 says, “As your days, so shall your strength be.”
Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread because He knew we would need daily grace, daily courage, and daily reminders that He is still faithful.
So, take life one day at a time. Gather what God gives. Trust Him for tomorrow. And remember that His mercies are new every morning, just like Lamentations 3:23 promises.
Father, thank You for loadin’ my life with daily benefits. Teach me to trust You for today and rest in Your faithfulness for tomorrow. Give me strength for each moment and joy for each step. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Friend, as you git to risin’ to leave this porch and step back into the wide stretch of your day, let God’s truth be settlin’ into your spirit the way a quiet barn settles after the evening chores are done. His faithfulness will meet you with the steady calm of a windmill turnin’ in a soft breeze. His provision will surprise you in places as unexpected as a shy lil’ ol’ armadillo wanderin’ out from behind the woodpile. And His mercy will steady your steps the way a glowin’ lantern steadies the path for someone walkin’ through a field at dusk. Walk forward with confidence, friend. The same God who carried His people through the wilderness is already walkin’ ahead of you, preparin’ every single moment you have yet to come upon.
With joy,
Gwen
