September 5—Morning—Psalm 148:14

"The praise of all his saints."—Psalm 148:14.

And who is this, my soul, but Jesus? Is he not indeed both the praise and the glory, the delight and the joy, the portion and the happiness of all his people? His saints, does it say? Yes, saints, made so by his righteousness and salvation, when taken from among sinners; and while themselves sinners, he has washed them in his blood, clothed them with his garment of salvation, and granted them an inheritance among the saints in light. And is he not their praise? Indeed, is there any other the object of their praise, to whom they look up, in whom they delight, but Him, in whom God their Father has made them accepted in Him, the Beloved?

Say then, my soul, is he not your praise this day; and will he not be your everlasting, unceasing praise, every day, and all the day, and through the endless day of eternity? Who shall be your praise but Jesus; his beauty, his glory, his excellence; in whom all divine perfections centre? Who shall be your praise but Jesus, the Mediator, the Christ of God, whose glory it is to redeem poor sinners and make them saints; to give out of his fullness, and grace for grace? Who shall be your praise, but he that has made your peace in the blood of his cross, and ever lives to make intercession for you? Oh, you fair and lovely one, the chief among ten thousand, you are my praise, my glory, my song, my rejoicing! Every day, I will praise you; morning by morning, I will hail your name, and night by night testify to your faithfulness. Here, while upon earth, I will unceasingly speak of your praise; and, before long, I shall join the happy multitude above in that song—"To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood!" Oh, you who are the praise of all the saints.

September 5—Evening—Genesis 8:22

"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease."—Genesis 8:22.

My soul, look at this gracious covenant promise of God, which was made more than four thousand years ago, and is as faithfully confirmed to your experience this night, as in the first hour when the Lord delivered it. How have the seedtime and harvest, the cold and heat, the summer and winter, and day and night, through every generation, proclaimed the unfailing truth! And although we are taught to expect, and by faith both to look and long for the "new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwells righteousness," this blessed promise is no less sure, or less to be depended upon, while the present earth remains.

And do not overlook that special feature of divine faithfulness in the fulfillment of this gracious promise; I mean that, amidst all the unworthiness of man, God's bounty continues the same. If the sun were to cease its beneficial influence, or the clouds to withhold their abundance until man deserved those blessings, the sun would rise no more, nor would the heavens pour down their fruitfulness. Sweet thought to the heart of a poor sinner! The Lord's goodness is all in himself, and from himself, and to himself for his own glory. Indeed, so abundantly gracious and compassionate is the Lord, that he often takes occasion from our misery to magnify the riches of his mercy; and "where sin has abounded, grace does much more abound, that as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord."

There is one more delightful thought arising from this blessed scripture, in the confirmation which the regular return of day and night gives to the faithfulness of the Almighty Promiser, namely, that the Lord himself appeals to this fulfillment of his covenant in nature as the confirmation that he will fulfill his covenant in grace. "Thus says the Lord, if you can break my covenant with the day, and my covenant with the night, that there should not be day and night in their season, then also may my covenant be broken with David my servant" (Jeremiah 33:20-21). Oh, precious words of a gracious covenant God in Christ! Lord, I bow down before you, under a deep sense of your grace and love! You have indeed "sworn once in your holiness, that you will not lie unto David," even the David of your people, your dear and ever-blessed Son!

Oh, grant that each night and morning, as well as through all the changing, yet sure seasons of nature, all may be sweetly sanctified in their regular visits to my soul while I remain on earth; that I may have a double relish and enjoyment in a sanctified use of them; and accept your daily faithfulness in nature as a sure pledge of your everlasting faithfulness in grace, that "in Jesus all the seed of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory."

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Source : The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portion, by Robert Hawker (blog post lightly modernied)