It was a restless night. Not a bad one, just one that brought strange dreams. The kind that wake you up and disappear almost as soon as you open your eyes. I can’t tell you what they were about. Penguins or “other strange things,” perhaps. Before you wonder about that odd reference, one of my favorite comic-style books from years ago, written by Burke Breathed, is called Penguin Dreams and Other Strange Things. Does Opus the Penguin ring a bell with anyone?
Whatever was happening in my dreams, apparently I was moving around quite a bit. The last time I woke up, the comforter was mostly on the floor.
But now it’s morning. And it’s quiet. The sun is beginning to rise, and the world hasn’t quite gotten busy yet. There’s something wonderfully ordinary about the start to today. Yesterday was busy, into the evening. Today is morning, and the dawn of a new day.
The dreams are probably still in the back of my mind somewhere, even if I can’t remember them. The things waiting for me today haven’t disappeared. Emails, errands, decisions, and interruptions will undoubtedly come. I’m reasonably sure something won’t go the way I expect.
But for this moment, none of that is happening. And I am sitting here, reflecting on these words from Psalm 90 (and turning them into a personal prayer for today):
Lord, you have been my dwelling place
as you have been in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
For a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when it is past
or like a watch in the night.
You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning;
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that I may rejoice and be glad all my days.
Let your work and your glorious power be manifest to me
and to all your children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon me
and prosper for me the work of my hands.
I am here. God’s presence is with me. That’s more than enough. I can’t make the whole day stay quiet. I can’t guarantee that nothing will disturb the peace I’m feeling right now. But maybe I can carry a little of it with me. And share it with you.
Prayer: God, let a little of this morning’s peace stay with me today and remind me that your presence stays with me, too. Amen.
