Does the grace of God wake you up in the morning? Does it give you the gift of sleep at night? Does it sustain you during the long hours of the day? Without the grace of God, God's favor toward those who deserve only punishment, we find other things waking us up in the morning and keeping us up at night, and burdening us during the day. We wake to the reminder of our failures of the day before and the load of uncertainty about our upcoming responsibilities. We face the day with increasing restlessness knowing that we have more to accomplish than our strength can handle. Then we face the night certain that we have fallen short during the day and lacking hope that tomorrow will bring any improvement of our situation. Without God's grace we would only anticipate greater fruitlessness and pain, with occasional temporary joys and pleasures followed by the deep ache of eternal uncertainty. With God's grace we wake up every morning with every sin forgiven and assured of God's sustaining love available to us throughout the day. With God's grace our burdens during the day are invitations to draw near to the God whose burden is easy and whose yoke is light. With God's grace we conclude the day resting all in the hands of our Father and trusting that he has separated our failures from us as far as the east is from the west.
Lord God, turn me away from self-reliance, self-effort, and self-affirmation and toward the humbling, sustaining, and exalting truth of your grace. May your grace be my refuge in the morning, during the day, and every night.
