Jump Start # 384

Jeremiah 7:25 “Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them out.”

  God never gave up on Israel. When Israel turned to idols, God continued to warn them and pleaded with them to return. Our passage reveals one way God did this was by sending the prophets, His servants. He would send them out every day, sending them out early. Every day brought new hope, new opportunity, and another chance for wayward hearts to return.

  The expression, “daily rising early” has impressed me. This has a sense of urgency to it. In the morning finds a special place in our Bibles.

• Moses rose early in the morning to meet Pharaoh (Ex 8:20; 9:13)
• Jacob rose early in the morning to worship the Lord (Gen 28:18)
• Joshua led Israel  into the promise land early in the morning (Josh 3:1)
• Job rose early in the morning to worship the Lord (Job 1:5)
• Ezekiel received the word of the Lord in the morning (Ezek 12:8)
• Jesus rose early to pray (Mk 1:35)
• Jesus taught in the temple early in the morning (Jn 8:2)
• Jesus was resurrected early in the morning (Mk 16:2)

  Early in the morning. Not everyone is a morning person. Some need dynamite to get them up in the morning. It takes a while to get them moving and my midday they are with it. Then there are the morning people. They rise with the birds and the break of dawn. They are ready to get up and get at it.

  Now the Bible doesn’t say you have to be a morning person. That’s a good thing for many people, especially those in my household. I am the one exception. I happen to be a morning person. Up early, waiting on the rest. There is something fresh about the early morning. The grass is wet with dew. The air has a coolness to it. The birds seem to sing their best in the morning.

  And with this passage it brings an eagerness from God. He is ready. Each day brings new hope, new opportunity. It is another day here. We may groan because we must roll out of bed and head to work. Our schedules may be too full with too much that we have to do. We long for rest. Worry, fear and stress can weigh us down. It helps to look beyond our selves and our tasks of the day to see the blessings of a new day. A new day. Another day with my family. Another day to serve the Lord. Another day to draw closer to God. Another day to help others. Another day. Some day there will not be another day. We will awaken to find ourselves on the other side. Our journey will have ended. Our time here completed. What didn’t get done, didn’t get done. That thought helps us put things in the right order. We have another day. We have today. The bored teenager, the busy executive, the dying cancer patient, the toddler, the busy mom each have today. That is all everyone has. If we get a tomorrow, that is a blessing.

  The Lord started the day by sending out his servants, the prophets. Jeremiah tells us “The Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-23). You might have over slept this morning. You may have not gotten a good night’s sleep. You may be grumpy and cranky. God loves you. He always has. He has given you today, it is a gift. His gift. Use it wisely. Be thoughtful. Be obedient. Be kind. Today is all you have.

  I wonder if those prophets were as excited about getting up and getting at it as God was? I wonder if I am? Today is a great day—because it was given to us by God.

Roger