To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 NRSV
In the 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!, the lead male character, Curly McLain, looking forward to seeing his love, Laurey Williams, sings the song “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin.’”
Oh, what a beautiful mornin',
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I got a beautiful feelin'
Ev'erything's goin' my way.
Like Curly, there are mornings we wake up with joyous hearts. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and all is right with the world. On those mornings, we spring out of bed–okay, we stumble to the coffee maker–but we’re feeling fantastic. We immediately experience the life and peace of the Holy Spirit with us. On those days, our prayers of thanks flow freely, and our petitions may be few.
But there are those other days. Even when the birds sing, they annoy us, and despite the shining sun, we look for the clouds. On those mornings, no amount of coffee will improve our mood–at best, we’re awake grouches. Satan is using the worries of the physical realm to try and kill our spirituality. These days that we don’t feel like praying are the days we most desperately need to pray, and we may find our prayers leaning more towards petitions than praise.
The set of our minds is established each morning. Yes, sometimes mornings bring sunshine and rainbows, and others doom and gloom. Praying before bedtime can help set our minds in the right direction for the next day, but those morning prayers establish are days. Yes, things will arise during the day, Satan is always trying to kill our joy, but when we’ve put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:10-18), it’s easier to deny him.
I can’t promise you that you’ll feel like Curly McLain every morning with the urge to wake up singing. But I can assure you that prayer helps brighten our outlook for each day and gives us the spiritual strength we require.
Gracious and loving Father, thank you for this new day you’ve given us. We confess there are times we are uneasy. Satan does his best to steal our life and peace. But we know you are greater than anything Satan brings on. When we come to with our petitions, you lift our burdens. You reestablish our joy. Thank you for sending your Son to bring us hope and for the Holy Spirit that gives us strength. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
You can find the complete lyrics of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” here.
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