His Mercies are New Every Morning

The beginning of a new year is a time of transition, what if we used this time of transition to form a habit with eternal significance, not simply eating better, losing weight, exercising kinds of habits, what if we formed the habit of daily reading God’s Word and daily being in prayer?

It reminds me of the painting “Angelus” by Jean-François Millet.  This painting depicts two peasant farmers pausing during their workday, bowing in a field over a basket of potatoes to say a prayer. It evokes the themes of daily devotion and grounding yourself in faith amidst life's routines.

Our lives are full of routines and habits, lots of little things we do each day, maybe some without much thought or concern because we have just learned to do them over time and with great repetition.  Each of these things started as awkward activities but over time we have just become used to doing them, and now it would be more awkward to not do it.

If reading the Bible and prayer is not your habit already, it can be awkward at first, or you don’t know where to start or how to do it.  But here is some encouragement, research shows that it takes between 18 and 66 days to form a new habit.  Also, most of us really want to be regular in prayer and in God’s Word.  Finally, the Spirit of God wants to be with you there as well - and through it he brings great gifts of peace, comfort, and assurance of his forgiveness. 

For the next 66 days, I invite you to journey with me to build a new habit of daily prayer and devotion.  Together, let’s embrace this opportunity to grow in faith and discipline, trusting the Spirit to meet us in this commitment. As Lamentations reminds us, 'His mercies are new every morning.'"