Midnights & Mornings

 Last night was one of those longer nights. The good thing was that there wasn't anything seriously wrong, but my son didn't sleep well and fussed a lot. It's just a little cough and some sinus stuff, thankfully. But it's those long nights that can get to us as caregivers - as if the daytime wasn't enough, right? When we get up in the morning after a long night, it makes for a longer day too. For many of us, it's far too frequent.

So this morning, as I found myself reading through Psalm 63, I found a little comfort in the fact that David had some late nights, long nights, and early mornings too! I wonder if it's wrong to enjoy realizing someone else had it tough too. Lol. Let's dive into this short psalm.

The subtitle lets us know that David was in the wilderness. He didn't have the comforts of home. Basically, he was camping, which can be fun if you're not being chased by the king's army. In verse 1, David says early will I seek You! I think there could be a dual meaning there. At first, I took it to mean early in the morning, before the day gets going; David was seeking God's guidance, direction, wisdom, and presence. But I think it would still be correct to assume that David was also choosing to seek God early in a problem. Either way  - there are huge benefits!

Later in verses 6 and 7, David says that he remembers God when he lays down at night and he meditates on Him in the night watches. I don't know about you, but when I am up at night with caregiving, I spend a lot of time seeking God. I pray for peace, wisdom, direction, and HELP! Then in the morning, I'm still seeking Him. So basically, from midnights to mornings to midnights, the caregiver's soul is following closely after God. That's in verse 8 of Psalm 63. 

I think this psalm makes it plain that David was going to seek God and follow closely after Him - no matter what time of day or night, no matter what was going on around him, and no matter what period. We can have the same resolve. Here we are taking care of another whole person, and our hearts are still seeking Him, midnights and mornings.

Today, I will reaffirm my resolve to follow close behind God because His right hand upholds me. (v.8) I'll remind myself that God has carried me this far, and He's not clocking out to go home, He's still got me. And He will continue to uphold me through long days and nights. He never clocks out. He never takes a moment off, He is our constant companion, and He's got us. So, I can remind myself that I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

                                                                                                                                                                

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