Finding Your Center

 


The Morning Offering: Finding Your Center

​The Foundation: Holy Scripture

​Psalms 5:1-3

O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

​Psalms 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! 

​Psalms 59:16-17

But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

​Lamentations 3:22-24

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

​The Reflection: Aligning with the Provider

​Meeting God at the dawn of the day provides a perspective that the world cannot offer. When life feels like it is fracturing, these verses teach us to shift our focus from the problem to the Provider.

  • ​The Morning Altar: David speaks of "directing" his voice (Psalm 5:3), a term used for laying a sacrifice on an altar. Morning prayer is your daily sacrifice, aligning your will with God’s before the world can misalign it. We aren't just "venting"; we are scanning the horizon, "looking up" with expectancy for His move.
  • ​The Unshakable Refuge: In moments of crisis, we often run to earthly comforts. However, Psalm 46 reminds us that God is an ever-present help. Even if the mountains—the most stable things we know—fall into the sea, God remains. The "Selah" (pause) in these verses is an act of defiance against panic, forcing our souls to weigh the chaos against His power.
  • ​Fresh Mercies in the Ruins: Lamentations was written amidst the smoldering ruins of Jerusalem. Yet, it proclaims Chesed—God’s unbreakable covenant loyalty. These mercies are Chadash (brand new). God doesn't give you "leftover" grace from yesterday; He provides a custom-made supply of strength for today's unique troubles.

​The Lighthouse and the Fog

​There was once a keeper of a great lighthouse perched on a jagged cliff. One night, a thick, unnatural fog rolled in, so dense the keeper could not see his own hands. The wind began to howl, and the spray from the crashing waves shook the very glass of the lantern room.

​The keeper felt a surge of panic. He thought, "The fog is too thick. Surely the light cannot pierce this." He was tempted to leave his post and hide in the cellar. But he remembered the words of the Master Mariner: "The light is not for your eyes; it is for the ships you cannot see. Your job is not to move the fog, but to keep the wick trimmed."

​The keeper knelt, trimmed the wick, and polished the glass. He sang a song of the sea to drown out the roar of the gale. When morning broke, the fog lifted to reveal six ships anchored just safely off the shoals, guided through the night by a light the keeper had doubted, but maintained.

​Moral: Our morning prayer is the trimming of the wick. We may not see the results through the fog of our circumstances, but the Light we serve is faithful to guide us—and others—home.

​How we apply this to our daily life

  1. ​Wait Expectantly: Don't just pray and move on. Look for how God moves in the mundane details of your afternoon.
  2. ​Turn Groans into Songs: Like David in Psalm 59—who sang while assassins literally surrounded his house—choose to praise. It shifts your focus from the enemy’s noise to God’s protection.
  3. ​Claim Your Inheritance: When you feel empty, remind yourself that the Lord is your "portion." Your strength comes from His infinite resources, not your own.

​

​Abba Father, I bring my voice to You this morning. Thank You that Your mercies are new today, and I do not have to carry yesterday’s burdens. When I am overwhelmed and the world around me feels unstable, thank You for being my refuge and my strength. I choose to trust in Your steadfast love. Guide my steps today, and help me to see Your hand at work in all things.

In Jesus' precious name we pray! Amen!

​Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen!

​BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED, AMEN.

BOBBA

Love, Penny

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