Usually, my blogs about watching the dawn from my patio in Florida are upbeat. Birds are singing. Ducks are paddling. The rising sun is gorgeous.

But not this morning.

A half hour before dawn, there was still no brightening of the eastern sky. Still no pink wisps of enchanting fog and clouds.

All was still dark. Steady rain pummeled the pond. I needed the flashlight on my smart phone to find where I’d placed my hot coffee.

I thought about my paraphrase of one of my favorite verses that I meditate upon each morning: “The LORD himself goes before me and is with me. He will never leave me nor forsake me. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

On a daily basis, meditation upon this verse is a fairly easy way to lift my spirits and strengthen my faith.

For example, the weather forecast for that day said the rain would end by about 10 that morning. That was something good to look forward to. And I have four-hours-worth-of-faith in weather forecasts.

Similarly, when we are young, it is possible to hope that the rain in our life will turn sunny later in our life. In the future, we will live with an ideal spouse. In the future, we will have ideal children. In the future, we will have an ideal career.

But as we age, opportunities “in the future” evaporate! Our spouse, children and career were whatever they were in the past.

As I approach 70, many of my friends and acquaintances have experienced horrifying diseases, deaths and divorces of spouses. Horrifying diseases, deaths and estrangements of children. Humiliating disappointments, embarrassments and failures of careers.

And so, with the passing years these melancholy thoughts of the Teacher of Ecclesiastes ring truer and truer:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!

     says the Teacher.

“Utterly meaningless!

Everything is meaningless!” . . . .

“All things are weariness,

     more than one can say.”

(Ecclesiastes 1:2,8)

Fortunately, these melancholy feelings that “everything is meaningless” are less likely among my friends and acquaintances who are living their lives in the Way of Jesus by following the Wisdom found near the end of Ecclesiastes—by following the Wisdom that begins with the fear of the LORD (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10):

“Fear God and keep his commandments,

     for this is the duty of all [Humanity].”

(Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Those of us who are hoping in the LORD in the Way of Jesus, do not grieve like those who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Those of us who are hoping in the LORD in the Way of Moses and Jesus, experience the compassion of the LORD, satisfying us in the morning with [his] unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:13-14).

Those of us who are hoping in the LORD in the Way of Moses and Jesus, experience the Joy of the LORD that is our Strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Those of us who are hoping in the LORD in the Way of Moses and Jesus, establish the Work of our hands (Psalm 90:17).

Those of us who are hoping in the LORD in the Way of Isaiah and Jesus, renew our strength and soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31).

Nevertheless, even those of us who are hoping in the LORD in the Way of Jesus, feel fear and discouragement from our bodies growing old.

As Ecclesiastes wisely says:

Remember your Creator

     in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come

     and the years approach when you will say,

“I find no pleasure in them.”

(Ecclesiastes 12:1).

The poetry of the Teacher describes our fear and discouragement from our bodies growing old:

“when the keepers of the house tremble,

     and the strong men stoop . . . .

when people rise up at the sound of birds,

     but all their songs grow faint;

when people are afraid of heights

     and of dangers in the street;

when the almond tree blossoms

     and the grasshopper drags itself along

and desire no longer is stirred.

Then people go to their eternal home

     and mourners go about the streets.”

(Ecclesiastes 12:4-5).

Despite the dark, rainy clouds of inevitable old age and death, I lift my spirits each dawn by remembering that the sun rises each day—and in each life—in God’s good time and in God’s good way.

Maybe not until I find my “hot coffee”.

Maybe not until a few more hours.

Maybe not until I experience my eternal home.

Maybe not until my perishable, dishonored, weak natural body is raised as an imperishable, glorified, powerful spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)!

But whatever may happen during the dawning day or during the dawning future, I lift my spirits each morning by recalling these blessings of Moses:

—The LORD himself goes before me and is with me.

—He will never leave me nor forsake me.

—Do not be afraid.

—Do not be discouraged.

(My paraphrase of Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 90).

I lift my spirits each morning by hoping in the LORD in the Way of Jesus—who embodies the Spirit of the LORD—fulfilling the Way of Moses (Matthew 5:17) by promising:

—I have come that you may have life and enjoy it to the full (my paraphrase of John 10:10).

—“I am going [ahead] to prepare a place for you.” .  .  . “I will . . . take you to be with me”. (my paraphrase of John 14:2-3).

—“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

—“Peace be with you!” (John 14:26-27; 16:33; 20:19,21).

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

As you think about the future, what frightens you? How? Why?

As you think about the future, what discourages you? How? Why?

How do you lift your spirits and strengthen your faith so you aren’t afraid and discouraged? Why?

READ MORE

For other blogs about meditating in the morning, please read my blogs “Meditations: This Is the Day that the LORD Hath Made”, “Meditations: Let It Go”, “Meditations: Be Still”, “Meditations: A Good Parent Is a Good Shepherd”, “Meditations: THIS Is the DAY!”, “Meditations: Hesed Endures Forever”, “Meditations: Hesed Redeems Forever”, “Meditations: Hesed Blesses Forever”, “Meditations: Listening”, “Meditations: Pleasing Words and Thoughts”, “Going Further onto the Patio”, “Amazing Grace: Birdsongs!”, “Pandemic Wisdom: Leaves and Birds”, “Pandemic Wisdom: Meditating”, “A Foggy Sunrise”, “Mountains and Hills Breaking Into Song”, ”God Cares for Each Bird That I See Each Morning”, and “Woodpecker Pecking Persistently”.

I can’t resist mentioning that the heavy rain that morning lasted for many hours after 10 o’clock. That’s why it is wise to place our faith in the LORD instead of in the weatherman!