While I would tell you that I’m not a morning person, I have grown to love getting up earlier and relishing the quiet time shortly before the sun comes up. The world is still, and the day is in front of me. It feels like a clean slate, a fresh start. Each day is a gift of God’s grace. Morning feels like a reminder of this.

You may have heard the words in today’s verse at the beginning of a sermon. What a perfect prayer for the pastor as he begins to share God’s Word with the congregation! As he begins, he prays that his sermon will please God and effectively and correctly proclaim God’s message of salvation to all who hear it. What a perfect prayer for each of us as we begin another day.

We are not called to preach a sermon, but we have opportunities all day long to proclaim that same message to the children we serve, their families, and those around us. At the heart of everything we do is the gospel. Picture Jesus standing in front of you. His arms are out, holding the Word. He looks at you and says, “Tell them about me.” You may be tempted to look behind you to see if he was speaking to you. “Me?” “Yes, you.” What a privilege and what a responsibility!

Our sinful nature and shortcomings can get in the way of the message. They can lead us to hesitancy that we might say something wrong. We may be tempted to be over-confident and fail to be faithful in our time in the Word. What a wonderful prayer our verse for today can be as we begin each day, each task, and time we spend in the Word.

So as our day begins, early or not, we ask God to bless our words and our meditation on his Word so that all our words and actions are pleasing to him. We pray that he blesses all we do as a reflection of him and of his forgiveness and grace. He is our Rock and Redeemer. His grace is ours and ours to share in each new day of grace.