Thursday, April 20, 2006

Declarations for Morning and Evening

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night.
(Psalm 92:1-2)
When you got out of bed this morning, what did you declare? Was is the lovingkindness of the Lord? If not, you missed out on a sure thing — a good thing. Before you went to bed last night, did you speak about the faithfulness of God? If not, you missed out on another good thing.

The Hebrew word for “declare” is nagad. It means to report conspicuously, to announce boldly, to declare, proclaim, and make known with certainty.

As those who have been reconciled to the Father by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have wonderful things to declare every morning and every evening: His loving kindness and His faithfulness.

The Hebrew word for “lovingkindness” is chesed. It is the steadfast love and mercy of God, which He has promised to always show to His people. The word for “faithfulness” is emunah and is based on the word for “faith.” Today, we say that “faithful” means “trustworthy.” That is absolutely true, but it misses an important point: God is trustworthy because He is faithful, that is, full of faith. We can trust God to do what He promises because He believes everything He says and fully expects to see it come to pass.

What does it mean to declare His lovingkindness every morning? It is the bold proclamation that the lovingkindness of the Lord is going to be with you all through the day. There will not be any moment of the day in which He has forgotten the love He has for you, or the promises He has made to you. This is an announcement you make by faith, trusting completely in Him. What a way to start the day.

How about declaring His faithfulness every evening? Take a moment before you go to bed and see how the Lord has been good to you, how He has kept His promise to you, how it was right on target for you to put all your trust in Him. But don’t just see it; say it!. Make a bold proclamation of it: “God has been faithful to me today.” Even if you don’t see it, declare it anyway, because it is true; because we walk by faith, not by sight; and because it will help you become more aware of God’s faithfulness the next day. It will also help get a good night’s sleep.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, even before you get out of bed, open your mouth and declare to yourself and all the world, “The lovingkindness of the Lord is going to be with me all day today.” In the evening, as you review your day, boldly announce, “God has been faithful to me today. But don’t just whisper it. If your surroundings permit, without disturbing the peace of others, get loud with it. Shout it out, even. It will break the bondage and cast off the chains of some things in your life, and your declaration will become even more confident.

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