“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:23)
Faithful as the sunrise, dew-laden hollyhock blossoms glistened in the sunlight every summer morning in the country. Standing tall and friendly, all dressed up in bonnets of violet, crimson, pink, and yellow shades of color, they graced the old wooden gate opening. Taking their places side by side, all in a row, surrounding the garden’s perimeter, the showy petals appeared ready to burst into a song of praise to the Creator. The array of beauty seemed to beckon Grandma into her day of toilsome tasks. And “toil” it was. Long days of hard work without modern conveniences were normal life for her. “Staying ahead of the game,” so to speak, she planted, watered, and hoed. Gently, quietly, and diligently, she gave herself as each demand presented itself. Idleness did not reside in her household. By midday, the hollyhocks would tire and begin to fade, until children came. These “friends” from the garden joined in their world of pretend and creative play. Wide-skirted blooms were plucked, along with a green maturing bud for each one. Turning the colored “skirts” upside down, a “head” with fresh sticky nectar was securely put in place. Voila! Carefully placed, just like that, a circle of beautiful ladies dressed in elegance appeared ready to be carried by coaches and directly to the ballroom steps.
Each day is a new creation - sunrise by sunrise, dewdrop by dewdrop, sound by sound. Untouched by human hands, today and each hour in it are gifts of mercy from God our Creator who set the world in place and chose us to be part of it. Without interruption, Creation revolves, season by season, right alongside fast-paced advancement and change that turn decades into centuries. Often with assumption, but monumental in constancy are the reminders of God’s great faithfulness. With a fresh touch of His hand, newness is spritzed with each day’s dawning. At the center of it all is His Presence – the kept Promise from the beginning of time: “I Am.” “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior who daily bears our burdens.” (Psalm 68:19)