Some Golden Daybreak

“My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.” (Ps 130:6 AV)

The word ‘wait’ or ‘waiteth’ have various means.  It could mean to serve, as to wait on tables.  It could mean to tarry like waiting patiently for your name to be called.  Here, the word means to hope for, anticipate, or expect.  This form of waiting has faith as its foundation.  This type of waiting looks for and fully expects, a certain end.  This Psalm is one of the Psalms of Degrees.  Psalms of Degrees; meaning to go up or down as in a thermometer; were the Psalms sung at the entrance of the tabernacle as the penitent ascended into the tabernacle or descended from it.  The particular Psalm was, more than likely, sung as the penitent ascended the tabernacle mount or temple stairs in anticipation of meeting with God.  There is a particular anticipation which the saint should feel.  We should look for the return of our LORD as those who watch for the morning.  We should desire the fellowship of God as those who earnestly look for the sunrise. 

It has been almost three years since my wife and I moved from the country back to a large city.  For the most part, we have lived in the country.  I grew up in a small city.  There are pluses and minuses to each.  The city is wonderful if you like convenience and security from threats like the weather or wildlife.  However, privacy is an issue.  Peace and quiet are hard to find.  Country living is great for those who like a slower pace of life.  For those who like the absence of traffic noise or simply like to see the stars at night, it is the place to live.  If we like wide open spaces to play and feel free, then the country is where we need to be.  But, things are farther apart.  In the case of an emergency, help us not nearly as quickly.  Finding things we need takes a bit more effort.   Neighbors are farther apart and a bit less reliable in the case of a simple need.  If given the choice, I would rather live in the country.

We recently acquired a new member of our family.  We were gifted a purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  He loves to get up early.   These dogs are people dogs and he does not like to be away from us for any length of time.  So, when morning comes, he needs his attention.  This means I need to get out of bed in the wee hours of the morning.  He needs to go out.  More than that, he needs to sit on my lap and take a nap.  As the robins and other songbirds have made their arrival, I was reminded how much I love the early morning.  As a turkey hunter, there would be many mornings I would find myself sitting under a tree and watching the woods wake up.  That is what I miss most from country living.  The morning.  As the fog lifts and the birds begin to sing, there is nothing more peaceful and beautiful to me.  The early morning speaks of hope, newness, anticipation, and peace.  As the reddish-purple clouds begin to lighten the darkness of the night, one can see a critter scurry about to find food, a mate, or return to a den.  It is still cool.  The heat of the day has not yet arrived.  Super comfortable.  When I worked the graveyard shift, I would go out the back door at the break of dawn just to see the sunrise anew.  This is the idea of this verse.

We live and serve in a dark world.  Evil surrounds us.  Trials are a way of life.  Hardship is the common human condition of which we all share.  There are many blessings in life.  Jesus has promised to give us life, and that more abundantly.  Equally so, life is compared to warfare, a pilgrimage, and a race.  Life is a balance between the blessings of God and the consequences of our existence.  The anticipation of the morning is what gets us through.  Knowing we have a time of personal devotions of which the world cannot invade is what gets us through the hard times.  It is the earnest looking forward to that gives us the ability to endure.  Knowing things will not always remain as they are is the hope which renews the soul.  Experiencing times of regeneration from experiences of the past speak loudly to the near-empty reserves of our tattered souls.  Believing with all our hearts that when the sun rises, our strength will be renewed day by day is that keeps us faithful in the long dark nights of this life.

So, I am not ashamed to put my name among those who seek the LORD like we do the morning.  Don’t get me wrong.  I appreciate the opportunity to serve the LORD and endure for His name in any way He would require.  I feel privileged to be put on the front lines of the spiritual warfare to which He has called us.  I am more than glad to take up the standard and fight for as long as I have breath in my being.  But, like a soldier proud to serve his country amid an honorable warfare, I still look forward to the end of my tour.  I know my General and master is returning.  I know He is coming back.  I know the new day will dawn with joy in our hearts.  I know this will all come to an end and we will stand with our Redeemer.  As the morning sunrise, we look with aching hearts for the One who died for us!  Oh, for the morning!