How to Surrender Your Tomorrow and Rest Tonight
Your Nightly Prayer for Dec. 5, 2024
by Rev.Kyle Norman
TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE
“Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me…. The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:12-14
SOMETHING TO PONDER:
I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I wake up with a list of demands and tasks already running through my head. The day’s agenda is before me as soon as my feet hit the floor, and from sunup to sundown, it seems like I am always on the go. When this happens, I end the day exhausted. On busy days, I may not have time to reflect on God’s presence with me. On hectic days, I may even question whether the Lord is with me at all. Might there be a better way to manage our days?
There is an interesting account tucked into the book of Exodus. Moses has fully embraced the call to lead the people to the Promised Land, and he seems to have embraced his role as mediator between God and the Israelites. But theirs is one problem – he doesn’t know where he was going, or who would go with him. Moses feels completely out of his depth.
Have you ever felt like that, pushed completely out of your zone of comfort and control? The life of faith can seem easy when we are the ones that call the shots, but as soon as God asks us to step into the unknown – which is the true place of faith – we begin to feel uneasy. We might even question whether this was at all what we signed up for.
But there is assurance for us. Moses relates his fear to God, and God responds. The response isn’t what Moses might have expected, but it is glorious, nonetheless. God doesn’t give Moses a map or binder filled with detailed instructions. In response to Moses' cry, God assures him of his presence. When Moses asks, “Who will go with me?” God responds, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Moses is assured that he does not journey through his life alone. God’s presence would be with him. Moses simply needed to rest in God’s presence.
Did you know the ancient conception of the day began at sundown? We often think the day begins at sun-up. We wake up and meet on a day filled with agendas and tasks. We arise to the day, already behind schedule. But the ancient understanding of time was that the day started at sundown. We see this throughout scripture – there was evening, and there was morning. And with this understanding, what was the first task of the day? It was to take your rest. We need to lay ourselves down physically before God, trusting that God will handle the affairs of our lives no matter how complicated they might be.
Even if we feel like Moses, pushed to our edge, we can trust that the Lord is there and calls us to a sense of peace and restfulness that can only be found in his love.
Are you feeling stretched beyond your comfort? Or are you ending your day feeling exhausted, struggling to maintain some sort of grip upon your life, trying to manage everything yourself? In the midst of your faith journey, whatever that might look like with whatever you might be facing, God says to you this evening: “My presence will go with you.” You can be assured that you are surrounded by the presence of the one who created you, the one who redeems you, and the one who promised that nothing in earth or heaven would thwart his love for you. And because his promise is there, you can breathe deeply, you can drop your shoulders and unburden yourself of a weight you don’t need to carry. In his presence and walking in his path, you can be at rest.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Almighty God,
I thank you that you are with me during my day. I know my comings and my goings; are held in your hands, you are with me when I rise, and when I lay down. And in each place, you surround me with your presence, a presence that gives me peace, and patience, grace, and courage.
Heavenly Father, as I enter this evening, I pray that you give me the ability to lay the new day before you. Instead of stressing over the events of the past, let me breathe deeply your inward peace. Instead of rushing head-on into the next day's plans, I give to you all that this next day will bring: my agenda, my plans, and those tasks that demand my best effort. I ask that you go ahead of me to the places of the unknown – where life will present me with things unplanned. In each of those places, I ask that your grace may be revealed so that I may rest in the knowledge that you are with me and you lead and you guide me.
Father, as I rest my body this evening, I pray that my soul rests in you. I pray all this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Recall God’s Faithfulness
Think back to moments when you felt out of your depth, like Moses, yet God carried you through. Relive those times and thank Him for His constant presence.
2. Surrender Your Tomorrow
As you lay down tonight, visualize placing tomorrow’s plans, worries, and unknowns into God’s hands. Picture Him walking ahead of you, clearing your path, and filling your heart with peace.
3. Embrace Rest Through Scripture
Meditate on Exodus 33:14, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Repeat it softly to yourself, letting God’s promise quiet your heart and mind as you drift off.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Viacheslav Peretiatko
The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada. He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others. He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca. He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.
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