Scripture: Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Psalm 90:14 (NKJV)
Observation: The psalmist pleaded with the Lord to have compassion on His servants (cf. v. 16). This was their only hope.
In showing compassion the Lord was asked to turn their sorrow (cf. v. 10) into joy. If God satisfied them with His loyal love (?ese?), they could then rejoice all their days. The psalmist asked God to let them rejoice for as long as He had given them over to trouble. Verses 14–15 seem to suggest that the nation was undergoing a particularly severe period of chastening for sin, a “night” of trouble as it were. The morning suggests a new era of joy for God’s people. [Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.]
Application: The Jewish Study Bible renders our verse for today this way: “Satisfy us at daybreak with Your steadfast love that we may sing for joy all our days.” The commentators of the same Bible explain that “Morning is the time of renewal, the time that God answers prayers” (Psalm 143:8). I’m glad God doesn’t answers prayers only in the morning.
For those of us morning people, that time when we get up is special because we’re eager to begin the day, our mind is actively working, and our time for prayer is very special. At the same time, for us morning people the evening time is challenging, our heads are clouded, and all we think about is the moment when our heads will hit the pillow. For night people, evening is the time when they do their best thinking, they love to read, and when they finally go to bed, it is usually several hours after other members of the family have called it a day.
Regardless on when you pray – morning or evening – the psalmist calls us to spend some good, quality time speaking with God about our needs, our concerns, and our fears, pleading with Him for His mercy to cover us and that we may rejoice and be glad not just today but all our days. We don’t need to live in some sort of Christian utopia where we are always happy and never sad. What the psalmist tells us, however, is that in the midst of our challenges and even sorrow we can find reasons to rejoice in God. That is something we need in all our relationships because at some time or another sorrow and pain will come to our lives.
May your daily prayers fill you with the assurance of God’s mercy, and may He bring you gladness every day of your life.
A Prayer You May Say: Father God, help us to maintain that daily communication, indeed communion, with You everyday. That, in and of itself, will be what will bring us joy every day of our lives.
Used by permission of Adventist Family Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.