“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 143:8)

At the outset, before I enter into conversation with another human being, I direct my three-ring-circus thoughts to you. Since you were known as the Word before time even began, let me begin this day by first listening to your Word to hear the strong sound of your voice in each line and phrase.

Before I check the status of responsibilities demanding my attention and dictating my schedule, I ask you to rearrange and realign my time. Before I begin to concentrate on what I must do, or should do, or can’t possibly tackle today, I invite you to reschedule and direct my day.

Supersede my muddled thoughts with a keen awareness that you are brilliant truth and that you maintain precise order and alignment in this world. Win over my heart with an aim to please you, to seek you, to rest in the strength that you possess, especially when weariness is the primary color on my wheel.

Help me find delight in the ordinary portions of my day—the first sip of piping hot coffee; the landscape of greenery parading down my street; the line of children entering school, each one particularly designed with the capacity to transform his or her world.

Allow me to focus on celebrating your goodness in the overlooked snatches of my routine—the petite cardinal perched on the lamppost like a red-coated sentry at my door, the soggy pigeon-gray clouds waiting to drop their deluge, the attentive waitress carrying her workload in precise and regal fashion.

Give me appreciation for the tiniest drops of joy you sprinkle like confetti on the tabletop of today. Catch me off guard with a fresh sense of wonder for the small surprises wrapped in ordinary packaging that you will reveal at various points throughout this not-very-special day. Help me to not overlook your gifts because I am consumed with keeping pace, increasing my stride, and arriving at a destination you never called me to reach in the first place.

“On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased” (Psalm 138:3).

Elizabeth A. Mitchell

Photo Credit: BIll Mitchell