A Morning Prayer to Find Joy in Long Summer Days - Your Daily Prayer - July 11

A Morning Prayer to Find Joy in Long Summer Days
By Lynette Kittle

Bible Reading:
“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” - 1 Thessalonians 5:5

Listen or Read Below:

Many of us love the long days of summer, as there is nothing like these extra daylight days to bring us the extended sunlight that brings hours, days, weeks, and months of warmth and brightness to our daily lives. Whether on vacation or going about our daily work and running errands, we can breathe in the sweet summer air and soak in the brilliant sunshine. As a child growing up in Midwestern America, long summer days seemed to go on forever, with hours to hang out with friends, stay up late, play outdoor games with the neighborhood kids, eat summer fresh fruits and vegetables, including watermelons, strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and more. Yet, they seem short in comparison to our time as a family living in the land of the Midnight Sun, Alaska, where we tasted the long Alaskan summer days of 18-21 hours of sunlight to enjoy, and the rhythm that comes of staying up late with light, sleeping a few hours, and waking up to glorious sunshine feeling refreshed and reneed.

Remarkably, we didn’t feel tired, even though we ran for months on just a few hours of sleep each day with the prolonged sunshine that makes the days seem endless. Nothing compares to those especially long dog-days of summer, full of warm temperatures and extended daylight, offering what seems like non-stop hours to bask in the sunshine and summer warmth.

Children of Light
It’s no wonder that, as Christians, we are especially drawn to and love sunlight because God has called us to be light in this world. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). As 1 Peter 2:9 explains to us, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

While Jesus lived on earth, He was the light, and until He returns again, we are called to be light here on earth.”’Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.’ When He had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid Himself from them” (John 12:36). As 2 Corinthians 4:6 explains, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” Our faces, too, are commissioned by God to display His light, like the face of Christ, to those around us, whether we are aware of it or not. When we walk into darkness, we bring His light.

Looking Towards Heavenly Light
As children of light, called by God, it’s no wonder we’re drawn to the light of long summer days and how spending time in the sunshine brings joy to our hearts. Light, as we know it, is a prelude to our heavenly home, where we will live eternally in God’s Light, never to face darkness again. Revelation 21:23 describes the glorious setting awaiting all who believe and receive Jesus the Lamb of God as our Savior, where darkness has no place. “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

Let’s Pray:

Dear Father,
You have called us children of light, so fill us now, during these long summer mornings, with Your joy. Help us, O Lord, to soak up, absorb, and bask in Your light as we enjoy the light and warmth of summer. Shine Your light brightly within and through us for Your glory, so that others will be drawn to You. Lead us to do what pleases You and fulfills Your will here on earth. Like Jesus, let our faces shine with the light of the knowledge of God, so that those around us will see the light You give and seek after You.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Janina Steinmetz

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

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