This beautiful sunset view posted yesterday reminds me of God’s greatness and just how different his thinking is from ours. Genesis 1:3 says, “So evening and morning were the first day.” I’ve known of the Jews’ practice of following this biblical “day” designation, starting the Sabbath at sundown on Fridays, but most of us follow the practice of thinking of the “day” as starting at sunrise. God’s creative thought process goes from darkness to light, from quietude and preparation to action.
As a “morning person” my biological clock naturally rouses me before sunrise and I am ready to rest once the sun has set. I have rarely needed an alarm clock. If my schedule has a particularly early and urgent appointment, as I go to bed I imprint that in my mind and pray for the internal clock to take that into consideration. Even if I set an alarm I generally awaken 10-15 minutes before it goes off. So, by God’s measure, I am at my best at the halfway point of the natural created “day”….early mornings, arising from the rest and preparation time and ready for action until sundown, the point at which I can put the entire past 24 hours to rest….figuratively and literally. It’s over. Let it go. Take a moment to enjoy the sunset. Claim the victories. Bury the failures, repent, and move forward into tomorrow immediately! It has begun as soon as the sun sets. Don’t mull it over. Go to your rest and let the preparation begin, along with the new day and claim the promise that you will awaken to God’s mercies afresh with the morning’s sunrise. It makes the night’s sleep all the sweeter for not dragging yesterday’s baggage into it. I think Jesus was a morning person, too, as he is noted rising early again and again in Scripture to take care of the most important activity of his day…..spending time with Abba.
Photo shared on FB 10-1-19 by Will Thompson.