Dear Precious Friends,
On this beautiful new day, this gift from God, I pray we are embracing time in the morning upon waking, with Jesus . He is our first thought, our best thought as we remember how much our souls thirst for Him. Being aware of the presence of Jesus as soon as we wake up in the morning gives us the confidence that comes with knowing He is with us.
It’s what helps us remember our desire to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh…
And that sweet song came to mind. . .
IN THE MORNING WHEN I RISE, GIVE ME JESUS. Please take a moment to take this in.
This directs us to read Psalm 5:3,
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
Then I read the entire chapter of Psalm 5 and I sat with it. . .with Him. . .
Listen to my words, Lord,
consider my lament.
Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, Lord, detest.
But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
What are these enemies today?
I began to see these “enemies” not as people or predators but rather my own self. The enemy of my apathy, my busyness, my lack of discipline, the lies of the enemy I believe that tell me I can’t or I won’t. . .
These enemies keep me from thriving in the presence of Jesus, everyday. But the Psalmist says, “you destroy those who tell lies. . .” the flesh within us that keeps us from freedom in Christ.
When I say "Give me Jesus", I want His help, His strength, His endurance and his goodness to shower me and empower me for my day. When we say Give me Jesus, we're crying out for tangible reminders of His presence and the joy that comes from abiding in Him. And these things will happen. He is with us, He does help us, and we are given the power of the Holy Spirit to live and move as the people of God. What we are saying is "Give me anything it takes for me to really treasure Jesus above anything else". And when we mean this with our heart, we gain a treasure that can never be taken away. We actually get Jesus. One day, when all is said and done and Jesus has returned to carry away His bride, the only thing we will taste is the glory. The suffering, the loss, the struggle of our souls will all be forever turned right side up into the glorious joy of the forever presence of Jesus when we see Him face to face.
I pray for His favor to surround us like a shield. Not favor that leads to fame or wealth or success, but rather favor that transforms us into a fierce follower of Christ, ready to meet each day with wisdom and grace to live well and love well. With that as our goal, We can rest assured that all other hopes and dreams will be fulfilled according to His will.
Amen and Amen.
Source: Holy Spirit, Bible, Lauren Washer devo.
