Fresh Mercies

Rick and I get up early, and we’re often treated to a sunrise casting its glow along the horizon. Early evening brings the sunset.

Colors, so many colors. Sunrise often brings pinks, lavenders, and pale yellows that give way to pale blue above a sea of white cotton clouds. By five o’clock, the sun is going down. One night, the clouds turned lavender and pink, then purple. When the sun disappeared, the sky turned indigo, then black with diamond dust tossed onto heavenly canvas.

I have come to see these times of incredible beauty as God’s daily greetings, a reminder that he loves us and is ever present. We are never alone. We can speak with him anytime, day or night. Sunrise is God’s “Good morning.” I can look forward to the day, knowing he will guide and protect me. As Scripture tells us, “his mercies begin afresh each morning.” What a wonderful promise! Yesterday’s mistakes don’t carry over. Today is a new beginning, and God can open my eyes to new friends, possibilities, opportunities. And then, in the evening as the sun goes down in all its glory, God’s “Good night” reassures me that I am in his hand and on his heart, and he watches over me as I sleep. Morning, evening, or in the darkest stretches of the night, he is never off duty.

Francine Rivers is a New York Times bestselling novelist who is thrilled to bring readers her first devotional, Earth Psalms: Reflections on How God Speaks through Nature (Tyndale). You can find her online at www.francinerivers.com.