
There’s a passage I pray almost every morning.
I say “almost” because I’m not a morning person. Some mornings I wake up in a groggy fit of snooze bar-slamming anger at the God who is so frustratingly consistent with rotating the earth.
But eventually I compose myself and pray a powerful prayer. I can call it powerful without bragging, because I didn’t come up with the prayer. Moses did.
And Moses was a smart guy.
In Psalm 90, Moses prayed, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (verse 14).
Those words are like Cinnamon Toast Crunch for my soul. I can’t get enough of them. I love . . .
Satisfy—God, being satisfied is what I want more than anything. I want to have enough today instead of needing more to be okay. I don’t want to chase the wind and spend my life needing more money, more attention, more square footage, more stuff, more likes, or more of anything. I want you to satisfy my heart.
In the morning—God, I don’t want to wait for evening to be satisfied. I want to be content right now, at 10:17 A.M., after lunch, on the drive home, and throughout the day.
Sing for joy—God, make me so happy that I can’t help but sing, like when “Enter Sandman” comes on the classic rock station and I crank it up so loud my daughters scream for mercy in the back of the minivan. I’m praying for an absurd amount of joy today, enough to make me sing.
Be glad—Yes, God! I want more of that in my life. I don’t want to mope around and wait to die to be happy. I want to be glad today, even if this day is difficult.
All our days—God, I don’t want my gladness to end after today. And I don’t want it all for myself. I’m thinking of “our” days. My wife’s day. My kids’ days. My friends’ days. My church’s day. Bless us all, Father.
What an amazing prayer Moses wrote! But did you notice the part I skipped? It’s the most important line for my heart. Moses prayed . . .
With your unfailing love—The only thing that can satisfy me right now and throughout the day, the only guaranteed source of joy and gladness for this day, is God’s unfailing love.
So here’s how I pray those words back to God—“Father, I know that anything could fail today. My car could fail to start. Fellow drivers could fail to pay attention. My computer could fail to find the Wi-Fi. My coworkers could fail to be nice. My back could fail to feel good. My church family could fail to love each other. My kids could fail to do the same. My heart could fail to keep your commandments. God, everything and anything could fail today . . .
“Except your love. No matter what happens today, God, I will be loved by you. No matter what people think about you, God, I will be loved by you. No matter how well I perform at work or how I feel about myself, God, I will be loved by you.
“So let that be enough for me, God. Let your love be so glorious to my soul that I can’t help but sing and be glad. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!”
And if you want to be satisfied, sing for joy and be glad this day along with me; join your digital voice and comment, “Amen!”