Awakening the Dawn

I'm finding that the analgesic medication doesn't last me all the way through the night, so at around 4-5 am I have to get up at take another dose. It takes about half an hour for it to have effect, so this morning I was lying on my bed, talking with the Lord.

As dawn came around, light was not the only thing that dawned. The street was quickly filled with the raucous singing of countless species of birds, which reminded me of the old Cat Stevens song:

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!

Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning,
Born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation; praise ev'ry morning,
God's recreation of the new day!

Click here to hear the tune.

Losing sleep is one of the toughest parts of my journey at the moment. I could easily see this as a negative, since pain is never pleasant, but I'm discovering again how God is able to turn even the negatives into positives. Like Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, as rendered in The Message:

"Don't you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now--life for many people."

The Message also quotes Romans 8:28 in this way:

"That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

I've never been a "morning person", but my mornings are now becoming my favourite part of the day - the "kickstart" for everything God has in store for the day. As I lay back, listening to the birds singing their own raucous worship, I was reminded of Psalm 57:7-8:

"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn."

Awakening the dawn with my worship, like those birds, is becoming a favourite pastime of mine! And for that I'm so grateful to the Lord. Normally I would have slept through those hours, but now I'm discovering the God "who never slumbers"(see Psalm 121:2-4) - He's there waiting for me in those dawn hours! And I'm discovering what amazing "quality time" I can have with Him when everyone else is asleep!

There's one verse that has long meant a lot to me, and in the last few weeks has become even more important. It is found in Isaiah 50:4:

"The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught."

Thank you, Lord, not just for waking me up, but also awakening my ear "to listen like one being taught."