Fall Back

This coming Sunday, November 1st, is Fall Back Sunday.  We move our clocks back one hour.

For most of us this time change is celebrated by either staying up an extra hour on Saturday night or gaining an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning.

What happens as we move back to standard time is the sunrise initially starts earlier but we also find the day closing quicker with the sun setting before 6:00 pm.  Day by day we move toward the shortest day of the year on December 21st.

For some, the winter season, with shorter daylight hours, becomes a very depressing time.

Let me encourage you to create a new rhythm of life this winter by seizing the sunrise as a time of prayer and praise.  You see, how we start the day goes a long way in shaping our mindset throughout the day.

The psalmist emphasizes the importance of morning praise to start our day –

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

Psalm 59:16

I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning.

Psalm 90:14

O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Psalm 143:8

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk.

So, as the days grow shorter, seize the morning, the sunrise, to start your day in the presence of the One who created you and sustains you.  The one who awakens you to a day filled with His beauty and wonder.