Genesis 1:5 “God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”
God spoke, and things came into being out of nothing. “Let there be light.” And there was light. “Let there be sky.” And it was so. This happened again and again and again and again. The creation narrative holds symmetry, order, routine.
God must love routines because He created so many of them. Every day, without fail, the sun rises once again. Every evening, it sets. …Consider the hours, the days, the seasons, the years.
He gives us routine for our lives: “Day and night, mediate on the Scriptures. Do not let it depart from your mouth” (Joshua 1:8). Every seven days: rest. Three times a year: appear before the Lord (Deut 16:16). The list goes on and on and on.
Or consider the individual believer: someone is born again, grows up in the faith, hopefully gains wisdom and matures… and dies. So God begins the whole sanctification process again anew with another spiritual baby. The rhythm is never tired or dull; He delights in it.
Rhythms and routines were hard wired into us before we were knit together in our mother’s womb. This is why life is draining right now. The familiar routines are gone. So we are establishing new ones. Like daily devotionals. 7am prayer. 7:19pm bell ringing. Sunday school on zoom. Serving by delivering daily meals.
Never underestimate the power of a good routine. For some of us, a few weeks ago we never had enough time for some rhythms, like having a small group schedule a meeting together, or having dinner with the whole family at the dinner table. Now, God is suddenly helping us. Now, new routines are being established. Today, things are looking different.
Or, if you suddenly have way too much time, consider this: there are two or three other people you could have a daily prayer time with. Call them and invite them. Build the routine. Give it structure. If you need assistance, ask someone you think has a healthy prayer life for guidance. Feel free to start small. …what is stopping you? The time for a new routine is today.
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Father, may we be open to Your creative ways. May we embrace the power of a new routine, for living in them helps us become the people You have created us to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s Communal Prayer Topic: This day, let us ask the Lord to help us embrace anew good rhythms during this peculiar season.
