Psalm 113:3: “From the rising of the sun to its going down / The Lord’s name is to be praised.”

Two concepts are included in this one illustration of God’s creation praising Him. First, since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it means that the Lord is to be praised, or recognized as God, everywhere. Second, since the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, it means that God is to be praised all day long. From the bursting forth of each new day to the slow spreading shadows of the evening, every new day is a gift from God to us. And each morning’s sunrise has within it the promise of fresh blessings from the very hand that created the sun: “Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, / Because His compassions fail not. / They are new every morning; / Great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–23). Mercy is not getting what we merit, and God’s mercy ensures us that we will not get what our thoughts and actions deserve.

Sometimes mercy comes in interesting packages, which are really God’s grace. A doctor, who is a believer, was exhausted after seeing an unusually large number of unscheduled patients one morning. As he sat down for lunch at the hospital canteen, he placed his hands over his eyes and thought to himself, “I’ll scream if another patient shows up without an appointment.” Opening his eyes, he saw an elderly woman approach. She said, “You know, I was nervous about coming to this hospital, but now I know this place is okay, because I see that the doctors pray before eating.” Do you think that was a fresh, new mercy from God? I do!

“LORD, it is true that You really do deserve our praise from the early morning to the setting sun. Forgive us for not always remembering to do so. We praise You now in Jesus’ name.”