Blessed To Rise

 

When’s the last time you opened your eyes

and the first words out your mouth were not complaint, not worry, not the weight of yesterday,

but thank You, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for this day?

Thank You for carrying me through the silence of the night,

for covering my body when I was unaware,

for guarding my breath when I was too asleep to know I needed guarding,

for blessing me in a darkness I could not manage on my own.

 

How many mornings do we rise

and pretend we made it here by strength alone?

How many times do we step into daylight

as if our own hands pulled the sun into the sky?

As if our own heartbeat started itself?

As if our own lungs remembered their work without mercy from heaven?

But no —

it is the Lord who woke us.

It is the Lord who kept us.

It is the Lord who watched over us

when the night was long,

when the dreams were troubled,

when the room was quiet,

when danger passed close and never touched us

because mercy stood at the door.

 

We forget so easily.

We get dressed in pride,

lace up our shoes in arrogance,

speak as if the next breath belongs to us.

We chase what shines and ignore what saves.

We praise the gift and overlook the Giver.

We celebrate the road and forget the One who made the way.

We love the blessing

but silence the name of the One who blessed it.

 

Yet every sunrise is a sermon.

Every breath is a testimony.

Every open eye is a witness.

Every heartbeat is a drumbeat of grace.

The morning is preaching,

the wind is preaching,

the birds are preaching,

the stillness before the noise is preaching:

You did not come this far alone.

 

The reason we are here is not luck.

It is not chance.

It is not because the universe was feeling kind.

It is because the Lord sustained us.

It is because mercy had our name on it.

It is because grace stepped in where we could not stand.

It is because while we slept,

He did not sleep.

While we were unaware,

He was faithful.

While we were resting,

He was working.

While we were silent,

He was keeping watch.

 

And still, so many hearts remain ungrateful.

So many mouths speak of self first,

self last,

and God nowhere in between.

So many act as if life is owed,

as if tomorrow is guaranteed,

as if another morning is a right instead of a sacred gift.

But the truth is holy and humbling:

we are blessed to rise.

Blessed to walk.

Blessed to speak.

Blessed to see.

Blessed to have another chance to love,

another chance to repent,

another chance to worship,

another chance to say,

“Lord, I remember who You are.”

 

Because He is the reason the door opened.

He is the reason the storm did not destroy us.

He is the reason the tears did not drown us.

He is the reason the enemy did not have the final word.

He is the reason the night had an ending.

He is the reason dawn still comes wrapped in mercy.

He is the reason we can stand upright today

with testimony in our bones

and praise in our mouths.

 

So let the proud forget.

Let the distracted keep running after shadows.

Let the world applaud itself until the applause fades into dust.

But as for me,

I will remember.

I will bow low before the One who lifted me high enough to see another day.

I will wake with gratitude.

I will breathe with reverence.

I will speak His name with honor.

I will not pretend I got here by my own wisdom,

my own strength,

my own goodness,

my own power.

 

No —

it was the Father.

It was the Son.

It was the Holy Ghost.

It was mercy in the night.

It was grace in the morning.

It was love that kept my life.

It was the hand of God that held me when I could not hold myself.

 

And if the world forgets,

I will not.

If others grow silent,

I will still testify.

If others never stop to say thank You,

I will lift my voice anyway.

Because every day I wake up

is another reminder that I belong to Someone greater than myself.

Every sunrise is proof that heaven has not let go.

Every new breath is evidence

that God is still writing my story.

 

So thank You, Lord, for this day.

Thank You for the breath in my body.

Thank You for the roof over my head.

Thank You for the unseen protection.

Thank You for mercy that met me before my feet hit the floor.

Thank You for blessing me through the night.

Thank You for waking me with purpose.

Thank You for allowing me to see another morning

with a chance to live right,

love right,

speak right,

and worship You with my whole heart.

 

Let my first word be gratitude.

Let my first thought be praise.

Let my first step be humble.

Let my first breath belong to the One who gave it.

For if I rise, it is by His mercy.

If I stand, it is by His strength.

If I live, it is by His will.

And if I sing,

it is because my soul knows the truth:

 

I am here because God kept me here.

I am alive because God allowed me to live.

I have this day because God gave it.

And every good thing in me begins and ends with Him.

 

So let the morning come.

Let the sun rise.

Let the day unfold.

I will still say it —

thank You, Father,

thank You, Son,

thank You, Holy Ghost,

for this day,

for this breath,

for this life,

for this mercy,

for this blessing

that meets me every morning

and carries me through the night.

 

 

 

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