Before the Day Begins

There is a prayer you can pray before you even get out of bed. It's not long. It can be just this: "Lord, guide my day."

The psalmist asked to hear God's lovingkindness early. Lovingkindness — that gentle goodness, that care which doesn't force but envelops. He wanted to begin the day already wrapped in that goodness, not scramble to find it after everything had already gone wrong.

It's so different to begin the day by surrendering it to God than to try to grab Him back after it's already turned into a mess.

Think of a morning that started badly: maybe bad news, an argument, a child who didn't want to wake up, traffic that came to a standstill. When the day starts crooked, everything feels heavier.

But when you surrender it beforehand — when you say, "Lord, I don't know what's going to happen today, but I know You'll be there" — you carry with you a peace that doesn't depend on circumstances.

Surrender the day before it begins. Then rest.