New Every Morning

Last week, I wrote about finding the peace to sleep during the storms of life. I have actually been having trouble sleeping almost every night since I posted that, which is why I am up writing this about 2 in the morning. We recently started studying sleep in psychology, and this has had me thinking about the purpose of sleep.

In class, we discussed the restorative theory which suggests that sleep is necessary for the body to restore and repair itself after each day. I believe that this is not only true physically, but spiritually as well. Lamentations 3:22-23 says “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” As I discussed last week, we can trust God to keep us safe during our storms, but this adds something new. “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” As we sleep, God renews His strength in us so that we can face each day.

In Exodus 16, God provides the Israelites with manna every morning. Verses 17-18 say that “some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.” God knew exactly how much everyone needed and provided that amount. Likewise, God knows what we need to face our problems each day and He gives it to us so that, with His help, we can make it through to the next day.

This also reminds me of a story in 1 Kings 19, where Elijah is running for his life. Nothing seems to be going right for him and he is afraid that he is about to be killed, so he journeys into the wilderness and asks God to take his life. He then lies down and goes to sleep. An angel woke him, giving him food and water. This happens again so that he can have strength for his journey to Horeb, the mountain of God. At Horeb, there is a powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but God is not in any of these. Instead, God came to Elijah in a gentle whisper.

This not only shows the sustenance that God provides for us each morning, but it also shows that God isn’t always where we expect Him to be. Last week, I used the example of Jesus calming the storm. The apostles were afraid because the winds and the waves seemed so powerful. In the story with Elijah, there were three powerful events. It is powerful events in life that often distract us from God. We look for God in them and panic when we don’t see Him. However, we are so distracted that we can’t hear His gentle whispers of peace. It is that peace that we should be seeking.

“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” Psalm 107:29-31